Justice
by Artemis'Fury
Summary: Eva Gordon is the Detectives daughter, Bruce Wayne is, well, Batman. Put them together and what do you get? My story!
1. Chapter 1

_Hola Everyone! This is just a little something that I had been pushing around in my mind as of late. Naturally, I should be studying for my lab practical and working on study guides for my other classes, but since I _am _the queen of procrastination, I decided to post this little ficlet. Alright, so it will probably end up to be more than a little ficlet...anyway, if you have any suggestions or anything that you would like to say at all about the story, just let me know! _

_Also, fair warning, I have a horrible time writing action. I just can't get it right. So I don't know how much this story may entail. I will try to put some in, seeing as how, ya know, it's Batman, I just can't guarantee it will be top notch._

**Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda, I don't own Batman, Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox, or any other character that was of someone else's imagination. However, any character not originally affiliated with said characters of above are mine. **

Eva Gordon was all too accustomed to riding trains, subways, and busses. While attending college in Metropolis, she never had money for her own vehicle. She decided her money could be better spent each month than on a car payment, especially since public transportation was, well, public. Instead, she opted out to splurge on the occasional pair of Jimmy Choo's or something equally extravagant, which wasn't often. So when her father let her take his car to go job hunting, she felt...rusty. It had been a few years, to say the least, since she had been behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Eva even tried to dissuade her father from his generosity.

"Daddy, really, I'll be fine. I don't mind riding the train. It will give me a chance to see the city, anyway."

Her father sighed. "I'd feel much more at ease, sweetheart, if you would just take my car."

"But it's daylight, nothings going to happen."

Detective Gordon shook his head in exasperation. "Yeah, you don't know Gotham," he mumbled. "It's not up for discussion," he said, looking up at his daughter. She tried to cut him off, but he continued, "No arguments, just take it. You can drop me off at the station." It was her turn to let out a sigh.

"Fine," Eva mumbled. Grabbing the keys from her father, the tall brunette walked over to the table and grabbed her purse and portfolio. She turned to see her father staring at her, her green eyes questioning him. "What?" Her father smiled at her.

"Nothing," he said, "you just look so much like your mother." He paused for a moment before adding, "Beautiful." Gordon's daughter rolled her eyes.

"Alright dad, come on." She motioned towards the door, but he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're home, pumpkin." Pumpkin. How reminiscent of childhood.

"Me too." She stopped for a moment then asked, "Are you okay, dad?"

"Yeah, yeah," tiredness evident in his voice. Thoughts and images of the decaying matter that inhabited Gotham's darker layers ran through his mind. Pictures of vandalism, rape, murder all stabbing away at his heart. If only his daughter knew what hope and happiness she brought into his life. "It's just been so long since I could hug my favorite daughter."

"Dad!" amusement ringing in Eva's tone. "I'm your _only_ daughter!"He gave a bemused chuckle. "Come on," she said, pulling away from her father's embrace. "I want to get this over with."

Detective Gordon scratched the back of his neck and looked at his daughter.

"One more thing," he said while picking up his coat.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

His grown daughter rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I love you, too." They both turned to walk out the door.

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Lucius Fox was standing in the board room of Wayne Tower, waiting for his boss and friend to arrive for the weekly briefing that included all of the board members from Wayne Enterprises. The meeting was supposed to have started a half an hour ago, but not much to anyone's surprise, it's extravagant playboy CEO was late. Again. Alfred had called Lucius at 8:30, preparing him for the wait. Apparently Bruce Wayne had had a rough night. The billionaire was spotted early on in the evening toting around a model, an actress, and a fellow socialite. All three were tall, way too thin, and immaculate in appearance. As well, all three, obviously were brain dead. When asked by a photographer, who spotted Bruce and his consort as they were walking into a very ritzy restaurant and casino, why he kept such company, the handsome playboy looked at the women and stated that he, "likes variety," then flashed his billion dollar smile to seal the greasy statement. After making his dinner plans, he and his guests of the evening left, presumably to the penthouse he kept somewhere in the city.

All the board members had their doubts about Bruce's ability to settle down and run a cooperation, but really, he was quite the businessman. He had a vision, like his father, and he knew how to follow through with it. There was more to Bruce Wayne than flashy cars and repugnant women. At least, Lucius Fox thought so. He wasn't fooled by Bruce's rampant activities. Deep down, there was more. Lucius knew it. He had his suspicions as to what that "more" might entail, but he never was one to be nosey.

"Lucius," came the impatient voice of Rackley Anderson, "is this wait really necessary?" Rackley was an older man, mid sixties, with grayish black hair and a pompous twist of the mouth; a nice man, just not one for flamboyance. "Can't we just brief you and then you, in turn, brief Bruce, whenever he decides to make an appearance?"

"Maybe if we filled to room with models..." Travis Jones jested. Low laughter and chuckles followed suit.

"Gentlemen, please. Bruce will here any minute."

"This is stupendous Mr. Fox, really, this behav-.."

"Mr. Fox?" The voice rang from the intercom sitting on the table.

"Yes, Jessica?"

"Mr. Wayne has arrived." Lucius looked at Rackley.

"Thank-you."

A moment later, the door opened and in walked Bruce Wayne, shutting the door quickly behind him and then setting up his place at the head of the table.

"I'd like to apologize for the wait," Bruce looked up from the papers that had been place in front of him. "It was a long night." Once again, a few soft chuckles filled the air. "So, who's first?"

A small man, not 5 foot 7 looked up at Bruce. He had strawberry blonde hair and small green eyes framed by wire-rimmed glasses. "Bailey?"

"Yes, sir Mr. Wayne..." The man launched into a report about his area of expertise, droning on and on about numbers and figures. When he was done, Bruce just nodded his head and waited patiently for the next person to launch their own reprisal of the weeks (very boring) business events. It just went on and on until finally the last person was spoken for. If Bruce ever had problems sleeping, he just thought about these weekly meetings. It wouldn't take long for a deep sleep to seek him out.

Bruce stood from his chair, thanked everyone for their time and watched and the board members dispersed to head back to their own offices. Lucius waited until they had all filtered out of the room before speaking.

"I received your memo about the helmets."

Bruce looked up from putting papers into his brief case. "Oh, yeah?"

"I took the liberty of having a shipment sent to your house."

Bruce smiled at the older man. "Thank-you." He grabbed his briefcase and he and Lucius walked out the door of the board room. "How many?"

"A couple of hundred." Lucius paused to look at his boss. "I know how painful billionaire spelunking can be." With a laugh, Bruce nodded his head at Lucius and then departed into his office.

"Morning, Mr. Wayne." A pretty, short, red-haired woman looked up from her desk.

"Good morning Annette. Beautiful day today, isn't it?"

"It is sir."

And indeed it was; the office was high up on the 40th floor and encompassed by all windows. The view was simply beautiful. The morning sun light flowed into the office, giving way to a rather nice work environment. Bruce Wayne did a double take at his receptionist.

"Annette?" he looked at her quizzically. "I thought you were taking your maternity leave?"

Her smiled faded down slightly; the interview process for replacements was proving to be maddening.

"Still interviewing people, sir." He smiled at her.

"Just as long as you find someone and can get some rest before your due date." He paused, ceasing the opportunity to make a bad joke. "My father may have been a doctor, but I'm not." Annette looked up at him and laughed, "No, of course not." He really was a nice man. She had never had a job where she genuinely liked her boss. He was just so...affable. She was sure that all those rumors about him were not true. He started back into his office but was quickly stopped by his secretary.

"Oh, Mr. Wayne, I almost forgot," she got up, grabbed a couple of folders off her desk, and walked over to him. "The 'Holden' files, as you requested."

"Thank-you, Annette." Bruce turned and walked into his office, shutting the door behind him.

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Eva Gordon looked at her watch as she left the Nehemiah Clements building. It was almost noon. She had been walking and driving all over Gotham City's business district for almost five hours, searching for a job, that apparently did not want to be found. In the previous weeks, she had sent out her resume to several places that she heard were in need of employees, however every interview today seemed completely hopeless. She sighed as she looked out over the expanse of the street that laid before (and mostly around) her. People glittered the side walks, the roadways; they were everywhere. Walking, talking, eating. Ugh. Perhaps she was a little hungry. Her feet were killing. Walking around in Prada boots (okay, so what if they were knock offs) killed her feet, so she decided to find a side walk café and took a seat. A waiter promptly appeared, gave her a menu, a few moments to look over said menu, and then returned with her water which she had requested.

"Were you ready to order?"

"Um, yes." She opened the menu and pointed to her selection. "I think I will take the Minestrone soup and a salad on the side."

"Dressing?"

"No, thanks."

"Alright, I'll be right back with your order." The waiter gave her a smile, which she returned, took up the menu, and then walked away.

Eva was left to her thoughts. Apparently there wasn't a huge market for business law advisers. She could always open up her own practice, but that took money, money of which she did not have. So she was stumped. She had to find work. Her mother and father couldn't just take her back, she couldn't lay that kind of burden on them, not with her two very much younger brothers being so young. Of course, its not like her parents would ever have pushed her out. They were just happy that she was back. Still, she knew money was sparse at times. Not that her family was poor, quite the contrary. Since her father's promotion to Lieutenant, he received a nice pay raise which boosted the family's socio-economic status. Not by a whole lot, but Connor and Justin would have more than she did growing up, which was fine. Eva just didn't want to impose. So finding job was of the utmost importance.

She tried to think of different places she could go. Already treading over most of the business offices in and around downtown Gotham City, she was momentarily discouraged. Would she ever find a job? She could always waitress or bartend. Maybe work in a department store. It wouldn't exactly be putting her expensive education to work, but it would be a paycheck. The waiter came back to the table, knocking her from her thoughts.

"Your soup and salad." He placed them both in front of her. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Not at the moment, thanks." He left again, leaving her to her food. Eva scooped up a mouth full of soup in her spoon and was about to put it to her lips when a slight bump came upon the back of her chair. Turning, she saw the guilty culprit: a very pregnant, short, red-haired woman.

"So sorry," the lady apologetically smiled. "As you can see, I'm not really equipped for small spaces."

Eva gave a tiny laugh. "It's alright." Then turned back to her lunch. She overheard everything the woman was saying, which at the moment, wasn't much. Apparently, she was waiting for her husband, who was arriving shortly. The waitress left to obtain the glass of water that the pretty little woman had requested. About a minute later, Eva heard a man's voice.

"Sorry I'm late, honey." Her husband, she hoped.

"You're not. How's work?" The man gave a slight laugh.

"Long. Have you managed to find someone?"

The waitress came back to her table, ready to take their orders. The woman had almost the same thing Eva had, only she added a fruit bowl on the side. The man ordered a tuna wrap with a side of clam chowder, an odd combination Eva thought. The lady answered her husband's question after the waitress had left.

"No. Not yet. How hard could it be, you'd figure, to find a secretarial replacement that isn't a complete ditz." Her husband gave a laugh, she continued. "I think most of these women just want the job so they can get close to-.." she was cut off by the ringing of a cell, apparently her husbands.

"Sorry, babe, I've got to take this."

So she needed a secretarial replacement? Eva thought it over a second, she didn't know exactly what all the job would entail, but she had worked in an office as a work study one semester, surely it wouldn't be too overwhelming. Maybe she could help her out. Maybe they could both help each other out.

"Excuse me," Eva said, turning to face the other woman. In kind, the other lady turned to face her, giving a half smile. "I'm sorry to bother you," Eva extended her hand towards the pregnant lady. "My name is Eva Gordon and I couldn't help but over hear your certain dilemma." The lady took Eva's hand and shook it.

"Annette LaHaye."

"See, I'm fresh out of Metropolis and looking for a job. Of which, is proving to be more difficult than I had anticipated." Annette looked at Eva and smiled. "I just graduated from college and am really anxious to get to work, somewhere."

"Really? What's your degree?" Eva rumbled through her portfolio for a resume to hand over.

"Business Law." Having said that, Annette looked on at Eva is mock disbelief. "I know, I know," Eva handed over her resume. "Secretarial work is a far cry from what I studied, but at this point, I am just really desperate for something."

Annette looked over the resume before speaking. "You are aware that this would only be temporary? I am really just needing someone to fill my spot while I go on maternity leave. Probably two, maybe three months at the most." It would be something until she could get a better idea of the Gotham City job market.

"That's fine." Eva stated matter-of-factly. Annette threw the idea around in her head a bit more.

"Well, let's see. Let me finish eating and then we can talk more." She fished out a card from her purse and handed it over to Eva. It had "Wayne Enterprises" sprawled across the top of the business card followed by Annette's name. "Do you know where Wayne Tower is?" Eva nodded. "Good. At about two o'clock go to the 40th floor, tell Glenda at the front desk that you are there for an interview with me, she should direct you from there. When we reconnect, I'll go over specifics." Eva nodded at her, smiling.

"Thank-you Annette," she returned the smile. "So, at two?" Annette nodded and then both turned around to eat their lunches.


	2. Chapter 2

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AN:_ Thanks to my lone reviewers for the last chapter...ya'll rock!! Also, I'm not as pleased with this chapter as I really would have liked to have been, but seeing as how spring break is around the corner, I wanted to post something for those of you who are enjoying the story, since I will out of town most of the week. Yay!!! So yeah, I hope you enjoy._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Begins or any Batman related character. I don't know how you would classify Eva, but if it came down to it, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't own her either...I don't know.**

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Standing outside Wayne Tower looking up, Eva felt a shrill of excitement lightly jumping from nerve ending to nerve ending. This building was massive; quite a bit larger than any she had walked into that day. Looking all the way up, she found herself trying to count all the way to the 40th floor. She gave up some where around the 25th. The view, she thought, must be spectacular from the top. Gathering her nerve, Eva walked to the entrance of the building and slowly pulled open one of the glass doors that encased almost the whole ground floor. The lobby area was quite impressive; granite floors, beautifully gothic crown molding; mahogany front desk. Eva realized that this was one of the most beautiful lobbies she had probably ever walked through; she wasn't sure which member of the Wayne family was responsible for the elaborate detail, but it was obvious that whoever had designed it took great care and pride and in doing so. That made her half-way glad. It had been a while since she had noticed any pride or care being taken in the city of Gotham.

Looking around, the slender brunette was unsure of where to go--the lobby was not only lavishly decorated, but it was intricately designed, as well. The glass doors seemed to encase at least half of what she was able to see of the first floor. Off, kind of diagonal, to her left was the main desk made of mahogany. To her right was a lavish sitting area with, what appeared to be, a mini restaurant closer to the back of said area. Straight ahead was a beautiful fountain, which amid it's beauty, seemed a bit offset in the area. It was almost as if the building had three different personalities. A business personality (the front desk), a playful personality (the restaurant), and a more serene, utopian feel (the fountain). There was more to be seen beyond the fountain, but Eva was unable to obtain a clear view. She started out on her trek to find an elevator when she was abruptly stopped by a rather large, intimidating figure in a security guard uniform. He was holding some sort of electronic device in one hand and holding his other hand out to stop her.

"Identification, please." The man even had an intimidating voice: deep and smooth, but not to be messed with. Eva glared at him for a moment, obviously a little unnerved by the sudden intrusion from her "utopian" thoughts. The man, whose name tag read "Gus", just stared back at her. Oh, right, her ID. She opened up her black hand bag and searched through it until she found her wallet. Pulling the wallet open and flopping the ID holder down to show Gus, she became instantly aware of the hustle and bustle around her. There was so much going on. A couple of men and women were standing by an ivory striped couch discussing something very animatedly, and eliciting the boisterous laughter of the partakers. A few people were draped around the fountain on cell phones or just admiring the beauty. A great many people were loitering by the front desk, doing nothing in particular except look really busy, but she could tell they weren't. And then, of course, you had the constant flow of people in and out of the building.

"Could you please remove the Identification Card from your wallet, ma'am?" Once again, Eva was snapped back to her present situation.

"Oh, right, sorry." She grasped the ID holder and pulled the card out from it's cradle. Gus smiled at her.

"First time inside Wayne Tower?" Eva looked up at him, wondering if he stopped everyone or if she was just looking especially suspicious that day.

"Yes, it is. I never realized how huge this building was--is." Gus swiped her card through his machine.

"If you think this is overwhelming, just wait 'til you see the rest of the building." Beeping could be heard from the machine and Gus began to read the information provided by the electronic device. She wondered what type of machine it was when a certain man caught her attention. He was standing by the fountain, staring at her. The man was quite a bit of distance from her, but she could see the dark glow of his blue eyes. He smiled at her and she returned the gestured, then looked back at Gus.

"So what brings you to the Tower today, Miss Gordon?" Gus said as he handed the card back to Eva.

"Job interview with Annette." She replaced everything in her purse as Gus stepped aside to let her proceed on her way. She assumed everything checked out, since he was letting her pass.

"Ah, Annette. She's a sweet lady." That made Eva smile. Who knew such an intimidating man could be such a teddy bear? "Good luck, Miss Gordon."

"Thanks." She murmured while walking away. Now to find an elevator. Looking back towards the fountain, Eva noticed the man who had been staring at her was gone. Oh well, _tel est qui_.

She walked around the front desk and rounded the corner. If they weren't in plain sight, then they weren't far away. Her theory was correct. On the other side of the mahongany front desk were the elevators, all done in mahogany wood as well. She pressed the button and waited with several other people for the elevator. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Eva noticed the fountain. She was going to have to check that out with a closer view when she finished the interview. The elevator dinged twice, announcing it's arrival to the ground floor, opened it's heavy doors, and waited patiently for it occupants to step out before more filled it's space. Eva stepped onto the elevator and watched as several more people filtered in after her. The size of the compartment was huge, she had no doubt it could hold all of the people, the air inside was just so close.

"Which floor?" She heard a man question her.

"40th, please. Thank-you." The man, probably in his mid to late 50s, nodded to her and then turned to face the front of the elevator. He was also dressed in a nicely pressed, expensive suit. In fact, as the elevator was taking them up, she noticed that everyone sharing the space with her was dressed _expensively_. She looked down at her own dress. It wasn't shabby, a white with blue stripes short-sleeved shirt-dress; but it definitely wasn't the look of Wayne Tower. It _was_ one of her 'I just graduated college and I deserve a nice treat' splurge items. Well, not really a splurge item; she knew she was going to need nice clothes to job hunt it, but the dress still functioned as a casual dress, which made her realize that it probably wasn't appropriate to wear to work in an office in Wayne Tower. So she would have to do some light shopping.

One by one, the occupants arrived at their destined floors and exited the elevator. At the 30th floor, a rather intense looking woman stepped off, leaving Eva by herself. She wondered what would happen if the elevator cord suddenly snapped in two and she was sent plummeting to the ground. Would she survive the fall? Not likely. Maybe the elevator had special receptors on it that would stop such an occurrence; those were an expensive investment, but she had read about Queen Industries installing them on their elevators when she lived in Metropolis. Or, she thought, Batman would save her. Eva giggled at that thought. Her father had told her all about the elusive Batman and at first, she felt as if her father was having some sort of mid-life psychotic break. Then he pulled out several newspaper clippings and pictures detailing the now infamous bat. She then figured, her father wasn't the one having a psychotic break. Who dressed up as a bat? Why dress up as a bat? Her father seemed to trust him (her mother didn't really say much on the subject when asked), but it just seemed a very crazy thing to do. She supposed she would just have to wait and see about this bat character on her own. If her father trusted him, then he couldn't be that bad. Reading the articles supplied to her by her dad, she learned about how he had served up a few crime-bosses and organized crime leaders. That _was_ commendable. Thinking more about it, though, Eva realized she just didn't get it. Why not just join the police force? Why become a vigilante? Why the elaborate get-up? What would be so important that someone would have to go to such great lengths to hide it?

Still concentrating on the psyche of the Big Bat, Eva felt the wave of the elevator as it came to a stop. She smoothed her hair and stepped off onto the 40th floor of Wayne Tower. Right off, one could tell that this floor wasn't as ornate as the lobby floor, but Eva thought the flow was much better up here. It seemed to have an open, airy, inviting feel. Still, obviously, a busy place, the atmosphere was a little less dramatic, and a lot more comfortable; and the windows...they were everywhere! Eva caught sight of the main desk, with whom she assumed was "Glenda" sitting behind it. Glenda caught sight of her as she approached the desk.

"Hello. How may I help you?"

"I'm here for an interview with Annette." Glenda scrolled through something on her computer then looked up at Eva with a smile.

"Can you confirm the name?"

"Eva Gordon."

"Alright, Miss Gordon." Glenda stood up and pointed her finger to the left of Eva. "Walk all the way down that way. It will be the very last office on the left."

Eva thanked the middle-aged woman, then turned and walked down the hall. She saw that the hall opened up into a rather large cubicle area with at least 20 or 30 cubicles filling the space. Beyond those were smaller offices with windows beaming through at every other office. At the end of the hall was also a window which allowed a pretty decent view of the city. Reaching the end of the hall, Eva turned to enter in the office that Glenda had directed her to, then stopped before she ever even got through the door.

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**AN2:**_ Yeah, it's a short chapter this go around. Something about it just doesn't flow well with me. I may go back and rewrite it later. I don't know. My brain isn't functioning properly after 4 tests, a final, and a lab practical..._


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **_Once again, thanks to my wonderful reviewers. I didn't get around to replying to the reviews this go around, but I will for this chapter. Thanks again!...and also, thanks to Ludacris and his bloody "money maker" for being stuck in my head ALL DAY LONG...I don't even listen to music like that. Weird, very weird._

_This was supposed to be the rest of chapter 2, but I decided to split it up for reasons that are seemingly absurd. So I took the rest of the chapter and put it in with three. Confused?? I am. Alright, enough talk. Get to reading and reviewing!!!_

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Batman Begins.**

Straight ahead was a rather large floor to ceiling window which seemed to have a certain ephemeral quality to it. Even from her vantage point, Eva could see the rather breath taking view of Gotham City. Moving slowly, she opened the glass door and walked into office. It was seemingly empty, and she thought for a moment that perhaps she had walked into the wrong office, except for Annette's name plate on the desk. She decided to walk over to the window and check out the view. Eva could see almost everything this side of Gotham; she even thought she had found her parents house at one point. Skyscrapers were all over the area, but none were like the one she was in. It seemed that this is where it all led, everything, every street, every point in the city led to Wayne Tower. Eva stepped a little closer to the glass and looked down at the sidewalk. Were those moving dots or people walking around down there? She quietly laughed out loud–she couldn't tell.

"Nice view?" The calm, soothing voice startled Eva and she abruptly turned her black booted feet to face the man addressing her. What she saw was a vaguely familiar face looking at her with a very cool smile plastered across it. She couldn't immediately place where she had seen the man, but she definitely knew she had seen him before. Besides, it wasn't likely she would forget a face like his. Whoever he was, he was very good looking.

"Um, yeah, er, sorry. I was waiting for Annette. I'm here for an interview." Eva hated being caught off guard and she hoped that he couldn't tell.

"Annette had a doctor's appointment," the man looked at his wrist watch. "She should be returning shortly. Can I get you something while you wait, Miss-?"

"Gordon, Eva Gordon. And no, thank-you." she smiled and he returned the gesture.

"Very nice to meet you Miss Gordon." The rather large man walked over to Eva and extended his hand towards her. "I'm Bruce Wayne." So this is Bruce Wayne, she thought. No wonder she vaguely recognized him. "Annette is my secretary, as I'm sure you're aware. Which means if you are hired for the job, I would be the egotistical, arrogant, bastard you would take orders from." Eva gave a nervous laugh while taking his hand and shaking it; she wasn't sure if he was joking or being blatantly honest. Bruce couldn't help but laugh at her nervousness.

"I'm joking," he said. "I'm not really a bastard." Eva relaxed _a bit_ and laughed.

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Wayne." Annette hadn't told her that she would be Bruce Wayne's secretary. That tiny fact would explain why it was so hard to find someone to feel her shoes.

Eva eyed him closely. He looked every bit the role of billionaire. He was dressed superbly in a crisp blue suit, hair combed slightly back, and he had an air about him. He was completely confident, but he had kind, compassionate eyes. She knew automatically that she would like him, would like working for him. Besides, if she aced the job, that would be one hell of a recommendation.

Bruce was having a hard time keeping his eyes from wandering all over Eva. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, but there was something striking about her. It wasn't as if she was super model beautiful with her dark brown hair, sparkling green eyes, and porcelain skin. No, he decided, she was much more attractive than that. A part of him hoped Annette hired her and a part of him hope she didn't. Bruce started to feel awkwardly nervous. Nervous? He never felt nervous. Eva started to say something, to break the silence that neither one of them seemed to notice, until Bruce shifted his position, but as if on cue, the phone in Bruce's office rang.

"Excuse me." He smiled at her then turned and walked into his office. She stared after him for a moment and then decided to resume her city watching, faintly hearing his voice talking into the phone.

"I'm so sorry I'm late."

Eva recognized the gentle voice speaking and turned around to face Annette.

"I had a doctor's appointment and I figured I would have been in and out of there, but you know how flaky those things can get. You're either in and out faster than you got pregnant or you're practically waiting your whole entire pregnancy for the appointment to be over." Eva laughed at the spunk coming from the much shorter woman. "Please, have a seat. I don't want to keep you waiting any longer than you have been."

"It's okay, really. I was just enjoying the scenery. That's a beautiful view of the city." Eva said while walking over to the chair Annette had motioned her toward and then taking her seat.

"I know. That's one of my favorite things about coming to work: the beauty of Gotham in the morning." Annette twitched in a movement of annoyance before returning to her smile. "I guess we better get on with things before the little buster decides to come." She pulled out Eva's resume from her desk and began looking it over. "You know, I could interview you like a mad person, but in all honesty, I really don't think I have to. From the looks of your resume, you are more than qualified for the job. Are you sure you want to take it? It's nothing permanent and surely you'll get bored?"

This talk disgruntled Eva a bit. Was Annette trying to talk her out of the job?

"Honestly, I don't _mind_ that it's only temporary. I really just need a little something until I am _able _to find something else. I think working for Bruce Wayne would be a great opportunity to see what exactly the business world of Gotham is all about." Annette made a funny face.

"I never told you about Mr. Wayne."

"I kind of figured it out."

"And you're okay with that? Most of the people I have interviewed have been just plain psychotic over that fact."

"Why wouldn't I be okay with that? Besides, the way I see it, having a recommendation with Bruce Wayne's name on it has to be pretty impressive, more so than just meeting him." She couldn't deny the fact that, yes he probably would be a distraction to work with or for if she let him be one. But she wouldn't let him become one.

Eva noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced up to see Bruce standing in his doorway. He took notice of her, smiled, then quietly shut his door. Annette went quiet, eerily quiet. Eva wondered if she should say something, then noticed that she was reading over the resume again. She was pondering everything over in her head. She knew that Eva was more than qualified, the girl looked sane enough, and she had minor experience in an office. Of course, the experience really wasn't an issue. It's easy to learn the inner workings of an office, as long as you can remember the routine.

What the hell, Annette thought. Her feet were swollen, her back hurt, and if she had to struggle to get out of that chair one more time...

"Okay then, I guess it's settled." She smiled at Eva. "All I have to do is wait for your background check to clear. It shouldn't take much longer, maybe a couple more hours. Personnel is awfully fast with those things. Is this a number I can reach you at?" Annette pointed to the number typed across Eva's resume.

"Yes," she nodded. "It's my parents phone. I don't have a cell phone at the moment."

"Okay then, I will give you a call as soon as Personnel gets back to me with the BC and let you know something." She paused for a moment, wondering if she should say this right now or wait. Better to be sure, she thought. "Would you possibly be able to come in tomorrow morning and start? That is, if everything checks out." Eva smiled broadly after hearing that.

"Yes, yes of course."

"Great, then I will give you call later, Eva." Annette extended her hand as she struggled to get out of the chair, but failed miserably. "You'll forgive me if I don't stand." Eva gave a light chuckle as Annette smiled up at her.

"Thank you Annette and hope to here from you soon." She then glanced over to Bruce's door, which was still shut, then strolled out of the office.

XXX

The gentle knock came upon the door and Bruce Wayne quickly sat up in his chair.

"Yes?" he said as the door opened. It was Annette. He gave her a small smile. She looked miserable. In fact, she looked more and more miserable every time he saw her. He was glad he wasn't capable of bearing children.

"Sorry to bother you sir, I just wanted to let you know I've found a replacement."

"Great. Here, have a seat." Bruce motioned for Annette to sit in one of the chairs in his office, but she refused by vigorously shaking her head.

"Thank-you, but I'm afraid if I sit, I may not be able to get up."

He gave a nervous laugh. She had red hair and was pregnant; it seemed to him a dangerous combination.

"Her name is Eva Gordon, she has a degree in business law and seems very professional and capable. I think she will get on fine."

So she decided to go with Eva? Part of Bruce was glad, the other part wasn't sure. He nodded.

"Yeah, we met while she was waiting. I think she'll do fine. When does she start?"

"Tomorrow, God willing the BC goes through." Yes, he thought, God willing. He wasn't sure if it was just him, but Annette seemed to be getting moodier and moodier...

XXX

Eva Gordon was thrilled, to say the least. She realized that she was incredibly lucky to have gotten a job on the first day, even if it wasn't exactly what she had been looking for, and from the looks of Wayne Tower, it would be a very nice start. She wasn't worried about the "BC" as Annette had called it. Being the only daughter of a police officer and having an actively involved mother, even in a city as corrupt as Gotham, she never dared to seriously defy her parents. In college, she had gone to a few parties, drank a little, but was honestly more intent on starting her own life than being stuck in what she considered limbo, or just college. Not that she didn't enjoy her college experience, because she did; Eva left with some really wonderful friends, people that she knew would be around for the rest of her life. It's just that the experience seemed a little unrealistic. Needless to say, she wasn't the most popular girl on campus.

Eva walked towards the parking garage where she had parked her father's Buick. The car was an older model, but still drove nicely. On his off days, Det. Gordon had a hobby of working on cars. It was a passion that would show through how well the car looked and performed. She could remember, as a little girl, her father poking and prodding around on their family car, he trying to show her the various parts on the vehicle and she being oblivious to what he was showing her. Eva always took up better with the things that her mother would show her, especially cooking. She loved to cook. That was one passion that _was_ passed on. Her mother and she could spend all day inside a kitchen and have fun doing it.

Memories flooded through her mind of things that sweetened her heart as she got into the car and began to drive away. Eva always considered herself lucky, especially growing up in Gotham. She knew that most kids didn't have what she did, didn't have the stable family that she had, didn't have the loving home, the supportive life that she was so blessed to have. And for that, Eva never once took it for granted. As a child late at night, when she was supposed to be in bed, she could hear her father come home from a very long day at work, exhausted and emotionally spent. He would creep into he and his wife's room, she would creep into the bathroom which was right next to their room, and listen as he slowly peeled away the horrors of the day. Going to public school in Gotham also gave her more of an idea of just how hard some kids had it. At a young age, Eva realized these things and felt immense compassion in her heart for those that didn't have it as easy as her. She often wondered if the state of Gotham was the reason that her parents had never had more children. She wondered if they even wanted more children, period. She knew that her father loved her and he wouldn't have changed anything about her, but she also knew that deep down, he really wanted a son, as well. So when she came home one spring day during her senior year of highschool, it came as a big shock, for all of the said reasons, when her parents told her that she was going to be a big sister. Eva was happy, of course, but even happier when a few months later they found out that the baby was a boy. She left that fall for college, went through the whole semester, then came home on winter break, still awaiting the birth of her brother. Nothing happened. The break flew by, and Eva was worried that she would have to go back to Metropolis before the baby was born. On her last day at home, while she was in her room packing her bags, she heard her mother scream. Eva ran downstairs to see what had happened and saw a flood of fluid all around her mother's feet.

"Mom?"

"My water...it broke! Call your father. Tell him to meet us. You're going to have to drive me to the hospital."

And so, that was how Connor was born. A year later, news came of _another _pregnancy, only this one wasn't as easy. Once again, Eva was away at school, and once again, her parents were to have a boy. Only this time around, things were full of complications. Justin kept trying to come then decide not to. Her mother went into premature labor four times starting in her fifth month before finally giving birth 6 weeks before her due date. Eva wasn't there, but her father told her all about it. Justin was a trouble maker, he had said. Got himself tangled in the cord, had to be delivered through C-Section, apparently, almost killing both himself and their mother in the process. So, Jim Gordon put his foot down and told his wife no more babies. Three was enough. And now, four years later, Eva found herself being absolutely consumed by both of her brothers. She couldn't be happier, and she noticed that her parents weren't doing too badly themselves.

Before she knew it, she had made her way home. Eva was partly shocked that she had managed to drive all over Gotham and not kill someone or even injure the car with her rusty driving skills. She turned into the drive way of the small two-story home, got out of the vehicle, and ran straight away into the house, anxious to tell everyone her news.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello all! I hope everyone's weekend went well. I had intended to get this chapter to everyone last week, but I kept rereading what I wrote, and essentially came to hate it. So I had to rewrite the entire thing. This one may be a little less in length, but it will get me over this hump of having to produce a stage for the real story. (Yes, I promise, there is a real story for this, one that _will_, without a doubt, involve Batman.) It won't be long before a plot decides to reveal itself...but in the mean time, I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

The ensuing week flew by, and Eva actually had a ball. Annette was so easy going and had a great sense of humor. Of course, she was in a state of progressive moodiness, as Eva had noticed, but Annette was gone now and Eva was left to man the desk herself.

It was 7:45, Eva had been in the office for precisely one hour and forty-eight minutes, and was bored out of her mind. There was nothing to do. When she had arrived, she checked everything, the email, the fax, the phone, and there was nothing. So she immediately made a pot of coffee in the little "break room" that was exclusive to Bruce Wayne's office.

By now, she was on her third cup of coffee, and realized that the caffeine wasn't helping anything. It only made her more antsy for _something_ to do. She looked at the clock on the computer. 7:46. Annette had warned her that when Mr. Wayne was out of the office, there wasn't a whole lot to do. It wasn't always like that, but most of the time. Eva hadn't seen him since their meeting in the office that first day. Annette also assured her that he wouldn't always come into the office, that he would work a lot from his home or would have business else where in the building that wouldn't require him to step inside his office. She wondered if she would indeed see him today. She turned in the swivel chair to face the window. That sheet of glass (or maybe plexiglass? She didn't know the architectural details) was still found to be captivating. Eva walked over to it and started to people watch. When she had first arrived that morning, Gotham was just starting to wake-up. Now it would appear that all of Gotham's business district was wide awake and ready for action. In the building across the street, she could see the busy activity of several offices. People answering telephones, walking around, typing. Her eyes darted downward to the street. It would appear that an accident had occurred a couple of blocks down and was holding up traffic. It didn't look to be serious, but then again, she couldn't really tell from being so high in air. She scooted closer to the glass and looked down. Dots were going everywhere. Some were crossing the street, some were walking into Wayne Tower, and most were just walking straight on to their destination. She gave a mild laugh, _dots, _and turned to face the glass doors at the front of the office. She could see the employed workers around the floor. A young woman turned to look into the office and was caught by Eva's eye. The two smiled at each other and then the one went back to work. Then she caught sight of another human being, except this one was coming straight into the office.

"Morning paper, ma'am," the man said as he approached her desk and lifted out a newspaper from the satchel that was strapped around his torso.

She smiled at him, gave him a "thanks," as he tipped his hat and turned to be on his way. Well, at least she now had something to do, so she made her way to the desk and plopped down in the chair. The time was now 8:25. She was delighted to have wasted thirty-minutes; she figured reading the paper would waste about an hour, maybe more. Glancing at the front page, a certain headline caught her eye. Sprawled across the page in big bold letters was the heading :

**The Bat-Man Captures Major Crime-Boss**

and then right below that:

_Dangerous Drug Cartel Begins to Crater_

This was obviously the reason her father was so late in getting home last night and so early in leaving this morning. She skimmed the article to find out more information, but overall the article was useless in giving any information on the arrest other than the crime-boss that was captured was none other than Robert Legotti, prominent member of Gotham's high rise society and active "philanthropist." The District Attorney's office had no comment other than their immense gratitude for _whomever_ had handed the slick willy over to them. She found that one statement strange. Whomever? Wasn't that obvious? Of course, she supposed just _exactly_ who that whom _really_ was, was the question in the back (and probably the front) of most people's minds.

Eva decided to call her dad. The police department was probably in utter chaos, but she wanted to find out what he had to say about this. She picked up the phone and placed it to her ear when, much to her surprise, it rang, causing her to jump and drop the phone. Rolling her eyes, Eva quickly picked back up the receiver and pushed the button that was next to the red light on the telephone.

"Bruce Wayne's office."

"Is Bruce in?" A rich, sultry female voice demanded.

"No, I'm sorry. Mr. Wayne hasn't arrived this morning. Would you care to leave a message?"

Rudely, the woman answered, "No, I'll try again." And then abruptly hung up.

Eva rolled her eyes...again. It was too early to start up Bruce Wayne's Dating Answering Service. Couldn't these woman wait until after lunch?

She decided to pick up the phone and try _her _call again.

"Gotham City Police Department."

"Lt. Gordon please." Without warning, the phone went silent before ringing ensued. Eva let the phone ring but to no avail, she was left with his voice mail.

"This is James Gordon. I stepped out of my office, but leave me a message." **_BEEP._**

"Hey dad, it's me, your favorite daughter. Call me back if you get this. I know you're probably swamped, but maybe we can meet up for lunch." She hung up the phone and rapped her fingers on the desk. Annette was right about one thing, she was so bored. The clock on the computer screen read 8:37. At least time seemed to be going by relatively fast.

Eva started a search on the internet into who this Robert Legotti was; she had never heard of him. Of course being away for six years kind of halted her knowledge on Gotham's uptown society. What she found on the guy didn't really surprise her. It was the typical information one would find when reading about an extremely dangerous criminal: Mildly attractive (she didn't think so, but obviously someone from the Gotham Times did), loves beautiful women (shocking!), and kills anyone (or maybe that should be past tense) who defies him. None of the stuff she read about Robert Legotti, ballistic criminal, surprised her–it was atypical. What did surprise her was the fact that amidst all the horrible things he did and all the dark discrepancies that made up his persona, the man was on the city's Board of Trustees. He was a "prominent" business man who had apparently made it to high status with the city's elite infrastructure. Why would people be so afferent to someone like him?

The phone rang and Eva answered.

"Good morning, Bruce Wayne's office."

"Good morning," the voice spoke in a very quick, business tone. "I'm calling for Mr. Aaron Adams. He wishes to speak with Mr. Wayne."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne isn't in his office , would he care to leave a message?"

"Mr. Adams would like to confirm an appointment to meet with Mr. Wayne. If he could just get in touch."

"Yes, of course."

"Thank-You." The phone went dead and Eva hung up the receiver. Mr. Aaron Adams. The name sounded familiar, but rang no bells. She really needed to get with it; All these new names and she had no clue who anybody was. Eva bypassed the important news in the newspaper and went straight for the society column. She figured she's catch herself up.

* * *

It was a little after ten when Eva received a call from Alfred, Bruce Wayne's butler apparently, informing her that Mr. Wayne would be arriving at his office.

And, of course the moment she got the call, things started to get busy. The phone rang, faxes started coming in, and even a visitor arrived. An older man, maybe sixtyish in a tan suit who said his name was Mr. Sawyer. He came to speak with Mr. Wayne.

"I'm sorry sir, he's not in at the moment."

The man shook his head then asked, "When can I expect him to be in? I called last week and he wasn't in then, either."

Eva smiled as politely as she could. "Actually, I'm expecting him to be in any minute." She gestured for him to take a seat in the waiting area off to his left. "If you would like to wait?"

The man seemed pleased with her answer and thus decided to wait. Eva continued to get the office ready. She refolded the newspaper, trying to make it look as nice as she possibly could, laid it on Wayne's desk, then walked into the break room and started a fresh pot of coffee. She rushed back to her desk just in time to catch a glimpse of Bruce Wayne walking down the corridor and into the office. He glanced at Eva then stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her again.

"Annette's on leave?"

Eva nodded her head.

"Eva?" he asked as if it were a secret that only the two of them shared.

Again she nodded.

It wasn't that he had forgotten, it just wasn't at the forefront of his thoughts as he walked through the door. It was strange to see someone other than Annette sitting at Annette's desk. He returned back to his normal demeanor and smiled at her.

"Good, glad to have you here," he said as he started to walk into his office, taking no notice of Mr. Sawyer tucked away into the corner of the room. Eva quickly jumped up and followed him into his office.

"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Sawyer is here to see you." Bruce threw the name around in his head for a few seconds. It wasn't a name he recognized and thus served him no interest. Probably just a small business owner looking to pitch some sort of deal, Bruce thought.

"Tell him I'll be right with him."

She nodded her head then turned and walked out of his office.

"He will be right with you."

Eva made it back to her desk with just enough time to answer the ringing phone.

"Bruce Wayne's office."

"Eva? It's your dad."

"Oh, hey what's up?"

"I can't meet you for lunch. I just wanted to call you and let you know. Sorry sweetheart, we're just too busy over here at the moment."

Eva shook her head involuntarily. "No worries, I just read the article in the morning paper."

"Yeah, it's really something. I'll tell you about it when I get home. Tell your mom I shouldn't be too late if you talk to her, okay?"

"Yeah dad, see you tonight."

The phone went dead and Eva replaced the receiver. Bruce came out of his office and greeted Mr. Sawyer. Both of them walked into his office and he shut the door behind them. The phone rang again and immediately she regretted answering it.

"Is Bruce in?" It was another call for the Bruce Wayne Dating Agency. He didn't seem like the type of guy to _know_ so many women.

But she had been wrong before.

"Let me patch you through." She sent the call straight to his voice mail.

* * *

"This fax just came through for you, sir."

Bruce looked up from his desk at the gentle knock that had been placed upon his open door.

"It's from the Singapore warehouse. I believe it details the incoming shipment of military AEDs." Eva handed the fax over to him.

"Did it include any of the preliminaries?" he asked while skimming over the sheet of paper.

"I don't think so. I can send a fax over with the request if you like."

Bruce looked up at her and smiled. "That would be great, thanks."

"Are these to be filed away?"

He glanced at the files her finger rested on.

"Yes."

She hefted them off the desk and into her arms, and then turned to walk out of his office.

He looked at his watch. 1:15. He'd been there since ten and hadn't seen Eva go for lunch. He hadn't gone either, and was admittedly very hungry. There was no telling what time she had gotten here at; she must have been starving, he assumed.

"Eva, hang on a minute." She stopped then turned to face him.

"Yes, sir?"

He grimaced and the word she used.

"First of all," he started, while getting up from his desk and walking around to her, "between you and me, I hate being called 'sir.' I've been trying to get Annette to stop calling me that since she started and my pleas tend to fall on def ears. It would be nice if just one person would heed my request."

She stared at him blankly. "Yes, sir." Then, realizing her mistake, "Sorry." It was going to be a tough habit to break. Eva smiled at him then turned back around. Bruce felt vaguely weird.

"You haven't by any chance eaten lunch yet?"

She turned around once more. Those files were beginning to get really heavy.

"No, sir." Wrinkling her brow, she quickly apologized. "Sorry, I'll get used to it." They both quietly chuckled.

"You wouldn't maybe want to go grab something to eat?"

Admittedly, she was hungry, but to eat with her boss, was that a good idea? Eva hesitated in her answer.

"Are you sure that is such a good idea?"

Bruce laughed at her answer, causing her to frown, unsure of how to read his response.

"It'll be fine," he said after realizing he was hurting his chances of acquiring an eating mate. "Nothing implied, I swear."

Well, she couldn't deny that she really wouldn't mind it. Okay, she _really_ wouldn't mind at all, but alarm bells were ringing. Not against Bruce himself, but she could already hear the sound of gossip being spread throughout Wayne Tower.

And it was only her first day.

"You know, I really wouldn't mind it, but I just don't think that is such a great idea."

He nodded at her. "You're sure?"

She nodded in response.

"Oh. Well," he paused to walk back around his desk and grab his jacket. "In that case, I'll ask again tomorrow."

They both smiled at his light-hearted response then turned to go there separate ways.

* * *

_Excuse any errors that this chapter may have...just really tired and if I proof read through this thing one more time...my eyes may bugger out of their sockets!! Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Personally, I can't wait until the plot has been set. I'm seeing Mr. Batman himself making an appearance soon._

_Oh yeah, best you not forget to review before you click out of the story. Please:( Thanks:D Until next time..._


	5. Chapter 5

Eva finished up the filing and faxed over the request for the preliminaries to Singapore before going to lunch. In all actuality, she had completely forgotten about eating until Bruce had mentioned it. The day, even in all it's tedium, had gotten her a little excited. Okay, so maybe that was in part to Bruce for actually showing up to work. He was so intense. But in a subtle way. He was the type of person to throw his whole heart into something, as evidenced by the intent he exhibited while working. It was odd, though, because he was also incredibly laid back; a strange combination to see in a person.

On her way out, Eva alerted Glenda that both she and Bruce were taking a late lunch. She almost made it all the way out the building when she was stopped by Gus.

"I didn't see you enter the building." The big man had a huge grin across his face. Eva smirked at him; she liked getting to the building before he came on duty in the morning and leaving when he would be able to see her. The first time she did it, he stared at her like she was a freak of nature. Apparently nobody gets by Gus. After that, it turned into a sort of game between the two.

"I've told you before," she said, "I snuck in through the back door."

"I'm beginning to think you live here."

"No, I'm just an early riser. Besides, I'm supposed to get here early."

"Very few employees have ever gotten here earlier than me."

She gave him a playful grin. "Maybe you should start getting up earlier."

Gus crossed his arms and tried to give her an intimidating look which just made her laugh.

When she got back into the office, she found that it was completely empty, save for the blinking red light on the phone. Eva checked the messages, then checked the fax for the AED preliminaries which Bruce had requested, then made it back to her desk to finish working up the files she had been doing before she left for lunch. Somewhere in between the files, Bruce came back into the office looking very disgruntled. He shot Eva a look that startled her for a moment before he quickly replaced it with a more apathetic facade.

"Hold all calls."

"Yes si-." She caught herself. This definitely was not a good time to squabble over what to call him. "Okay," she interjected.

"And make sure I'm not bothered, by anyone. No visitors."

The door to his office was shut rather aggressively before she was able to reply.

Eva's eyes lingered on his closed door. _What the hell was that about?_ She turned back to her computer screen and tried to get her focus back on her work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bruce threw himself down into his chair and squeezed the bridge of his nose with as much force as he could with stand before finally letting go. _Why? Why?! WHY?!_ He couldn't believe it. It was unfathomable. All of his hard work, weeks and weeks of hard work, and for what? For someone to make a stupid mistake. _Or a maybe no mistake at all._ He opened his eyes then moved the computer mouse to start up the computer screen. He went directly to the _Gotham Times_ website to reread the horrible news, each word fueling his fire. His eyes burned up the headline as they scrolled across the screen for the hundredth time.

**Legotti Posts Bail–Flees Country**

Bruce thought the days of corruption within the judiciary system were a thing of the past, or at least beginning to become a thing of the past. Who allowed him to post bail? And who, more importantly, in the hell allowed him to keep his passport? He turned in his chair and faced the window. He stared out of it for a long while before getting up to stand next to it.

He had to regroup, he thought, reamass his game plan. Legotti couldn't stay away forever. His business was here, his family, his _money_. Eventually he would be drawn back, if only for a brief, final visit.

And Batman, of course whenever he returned, would be there, waiting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bruce emerged from his office an hour later, a little less angry. Eva, however, wasn't at her desk. He walked into the break room and the file room, not finding her in either. He walked back into the main office and took notice of her walking though the door. She stopped in her tracks, gave him a trepidatious smile, then moved toward her desk.

"The preliminaries came through for you, if you would like to see them."

Bruce gave her a quizzical smile, so she continued. "The preliminaries you requested for the military AEDs."

"Oh. Right. Well, just put them on my desk, I'll review them tomorrow. I was about to leave for the day," she stopped short of her desk as he scooted closer towards it, a look of sincerity crossing his face. "I wanted to apologize before I left, for coming in the way I did." Eva brought her eyes up to meet his and give protest to his apology, but he continued before she could find her voice. "I'm not always so...ogreish." She laughed at that, which caused him to smile.

Eva gave a quick wave of her hand. "You're the richest man this side of the United States. I think you are entitled to being an ogre every now and then."

"Sometimes this city can get to you."

She gave him a knowing look. "Tell me about it. My dad's a detective for the GCPD."

"A good cop, no doubt."

"One of the few." She paused for a moment, a wave of pride passing through her. "But I hear things are taking a turn for the better, at least my dad thinks so. Gotham now has an insane hero to combat all the insane criminals." Bruce noticed a gleam of playfulness in her eyes.

"Is that what your father thinks?"

"No. My father thinks this costume party character is a God-send."

"But you're not so sure?"

Eva shook her head. "It's not that. I just think it's a bit much. In some ways, I suppose he-it-has helped, but what is going to happen when escalation begins? This person maybe running around in a mask and tights, able to go home at the end of the night without worrying that his family has been wiped out. As for the rest of us," she paused, realizing what she had just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, that way."

Bruce shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I know what you meant, but 'as for the rest of us?'"

Eva decided against elaborating on her ideas. "I don't know. I suppose in all context I really don't know all that much about this 'thing' except what my dad says."

The phone rang and Eva walked around her desk to answer it.

"Bruce Wayne's office." Bruce stared out the glass doors, digesting what she said. She has a point, he thought. Of course it wasn't as if he hadn't thought of all that himself, but to hear it from someone else other than within his own thoughts was _different_.

"No, I'm sorry he's gone for the day."

She looked up at her boss while hanging up the phone.

"Who is Aaron Adams?"

He turned suddenly from his gaze out the door. Eva pretended not to notice his daze. "I'm sorry, who?"

"Aaron Adams. His office or firm...whatever he has, has called five times today to request a meeting with you. I just assumed he was important and his business with you must be pressing."

Bruce thought for a moment about the name. "He's CEO of Ashmore Industries. He's not as important as he thinks and neither is his business with me." He turned and smiled at his secretary. The words were so smooth coming from his mouth that Eva almost didn't catch the humor. She let out a tiny laugh in response.

"I'll give him a call tomorrow. Maybe." He glanced at her computer screen and noticed the time.

"I should get going. See you tomorrow?" She gave him a funny look. "Right, see you tomorrow." Bruce walked towards the door then turned back to look at her one last time. She smiled up at him and he returned the gesture. Why did he feel so strange? He turned back and walked down the hall way to the elevator.

Eva found herself still smiling as she started on her way home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_**Author's Note:** This was a short chapter, I know, still very fluffy. I would have included next chapter with this chapter to give both chapters more length, but I felt that the tone of the two would offset each other. Hopefully (if I write it right) next chapter should be much more indicative of the plot. Still maybe fluffy, but hopefully not so much. I'm still trying to get the dialogue right, but it just sounds funny when I go back to read what they are saying to each other...lol...I don't know why. Anyway, hope to post again soon! And thanks for the many reviews. You guys are the only reason I am posting this! Ya'll are awesome. _


	6. Chapter 6

"How does Annette keep up with all of this?"

Bruce and Eva were stuck in his office with the ugly task of "housekeeping". The time had arisen for Bruce to go before the board members with a yearly "Clean Sweep" review that required him to go through all the files in his office and write up a review of the ones to be sent into storage. For the last two years, Annette had been the one to take care of the files. Essentially, she did Bruce's job for him, but Eva was still learning about the particulars so her boss ventured out to help her. It had been about two days on the task, and much to his surprise, two of his most enjoyable days at the office.

The phone rang causing Eva to get up off the floor of the file room. This was more difficult than it sounded, for Eva was wearing a skirt. Bruce quickly stood up and extended his hands to help her up. "Thanks," she said while taking off toward the phone. Bruce was left to stare after her. Somewhere during the two weeks he had spent with her, he had found himself constantly juggling his thoughts between his _other_ job and his newly appointed temp-secretary. He had come to the conclusion that she wasn't so much a distraction as she was a reason to come into work. He was sure no one knew, well, save for one very perceptive old man.

But it would seem that Alfred knew everything.

It was a conversation that had taken place one night when Bruce had actually stayed home. He was sprawled out on the couch in his study, eyes wide open, but not seeing the book case he was focused on. Alfred had observed the young mans disposition from the door way.

"She's a very well bred lady, I would think, Master Bruce."

Bruce's eyes flinched at the sound of his confidant's voice. "Who?"

"Miss Gordon, of course."

A small smile crept across his face. He could think of a thousand ways to describe Eva and well-bred was not one that had ever come to mind. "She's not a horse, Alfred."

"Quite so then, sir. She is very nice to look at."

Bruce was a little shocked at the forthright manner in which his usually reserved butler spoke. And even still, at the knowledge of what _she_ looked like. He sat up and looked at his butler. "When have you seen her?"

"I saw Miss Gordon the other night when she left that stack of papers for you to sign, which I might add, you have not."

Bruce laid back down, staying silent, wishing the conversation to be over.

"You might take her out for lunch maybe, or possibly dinner. She is friendless in the city at the moment." Alfred paused to observe his master's expression. Bruce gave away nothing.

_Yeah, it's not for lack of trying_. Bruce had tried to get Eva to go to lunch with him everyday he had gone into the office, and everyday she turned him down. He had to admit, he wasn't used to the rejection.

"And she is currently looking for a nesting ground. You may try and help her find a place to live."

_That's an idea_. Bruce stood up from the couch and looked Alfred in the eye. "How do you know so much about her?"

A smile passed over his face before answering, "I asked."

"Don't you have a cell phone?"

Eva walked back through the door, pulling Bruce out of his thoughts.

"Hm?"

She gave him a dirty look in response before plopping back down beside her boss.

"What?" He looked mock offended.

"Call Heidi." She said while flipping open a folder.

"Who?"

She laughed at that. "I don't know. I'm not the one dating 'Heidi'." Eva started laughing after saying the name. She couldn't help it. It's not that it was a bad name. It's just that the way the girl sounded over the phone and the type of name she had, Eva was left to imagine the worst.

"First of all, I'm not dating Heidi. Second of all, what's so funny?"

"Nothing," she said. She didn't want to offend her employer, even though she doubted he would care even if she had told him what she was laughing at. Bruce just kept looking at her. "It's just that I have this certain image in my head, of what 'Heidi' looks like." She stopped there, but Bruce kept looking at her.

"And what does she look like?"

"A pretty girl, just...not very bright."

He had to stifle laughter at that. Eva had hit the nail on the head.

"Actually, you've got it all wrong. Heidi _is_ a very bright young woman."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. She has an obsession with dying her hair as blonde as she can get it, and sometimes, when the light hits it, you almost go blind."

Eva started laughing again, the sound ringing in the tiny file room. Bruce looked at his watch.

"Come on," he said while standing up, "let's go get some lunch. It's twelve-thirty and I'm starving." He offered his hands to help her up, which she accepted. They walked into the main office and took notice of the pelting rain out the window.

"Oh no."

Bruce, who was standing behind his secretary, smiled at the back of her head.

"What?" he said before walking around her. He looked out the big window. "Oh, the rain."

Eva already knew what his little speech would entail. Bruce continued, "See, I'm not going to be affected by the rain because I can walk across the enclosed walk way to the parking garage, get in my nice, dry car, and get dryly to the covered restaurant of choice." He paused, turning to face his co-worker. "But I suppose for someone like you who walks almost everywhere, this would present a problem."

"Thank-you for that. I had not noticed." She thought for a moment. He could tell that a little light had just gone off in her head. "I'll just eat downstairs."

"You could," he began thoughtfully, "but that would take an excruciating amount of time, plus it's so crowded, and the food I hear is not that good."

A small smile crept across her face. "But I was under the impression that _you_ were the one who approved the menu, and personally had hired the chef."

Bruce looked at her, all jokes put aside. "Just eat lunch with me. As I've said since day one, nothing implied." She gave him a quizzical look. "I promise." Eva was about to protest for what seemed like the thousandth time, when he pressed on. "If anyone has anything to say about it, I'll deal with them." Judging by his tone of voice, she didn't doubt it.

_But still._

"You know, you worry too much about what other people think."

She looked up at him, giving him one of her best glares. "Maybe you should _try_ worrying a little bit more about _what_ people think."

Bruce's stomach gave a menacing growl. "Look," he started out, "we can either stand here, hungry and argue about this, or we can go eat lunch somewhere, filling our stomachs with food while arguing about this."

Eva gave one last look out the window before admitting defeat. "Fine." She stormed over to her desk and grabbed her purse. "But I'm warning you, my father's a cop."

* * *

They made it to the restaurant and managed to evade any crowd that might have reared it's ugly head, of course, not without going back and forth about where they were going to go.

"Just do what you would normally do for lunch. I don't want to be a bother," she had stated after about two minutes of the meandering conversation. In the office, Eva had been resolutely mad at Bruce, but upon reaching his very nice Aston Martin, however, her nerves had caught up with her and she had to admit to being a little intimidated.

"Alright then, Do you have any food allergies?"

_What?_ "Food allergies?"

"Yeah, you know allergic reactions to certain foods? Does your throat swell up when you swallow peanuts, or something like that?"

"Um," _what kind of restaurant was he planning on taking her to? _"Not that I am consciously aware of."

Bruce turned to look over his shoulder while reversing.

"Good. I think I know where we can go."

Thus the pair ended up at a quiet, but upscale Asian restaurant.

"Ever eaten sushi?" He asked after they had been given the hot tea they had ordered.

"No can't say that has ever appealed to me." Eva stated resolutely while looking up from her menu. "And I'm _not_ feeling adventurous today." She had the feeling that she was going to end up being force fed sushi. "I think I will just have egg drop soup with some vegetables."

He furrowed his brow at her. "I'm not very hungry." A lie they both knew, but this was a fancy Asian restaurant; she had no idea how much the food cost, and she wasn't going to let Bruce pay, even if it was his idea to eat lunch together. Eva cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"So do you think we'll get through all the files before you give your report?"

"I think so, we only have a drawer to go through. That's hardest part. The report should be nothing." He put the menu he was holding down on the table. Wayne Enterprises was the last thing he wanted to talk about and giving the board a report was something he never wanted to talk about.

"I hear you're looking for a place to live?" In the background, a very gentle Asian melody was playing.

Eva gingerly ran a hand through her hair. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Word travels fast around Wayne Mansion."

A light smile shown across her face. _Alfred._ She hadn't heard much about Bruce Wayne's butler, so when she thought of what he must be like, she was left up to her imagination. Of course, upon meeting the white-haired old man, her imagination was proven wrong. He was nothing like what she thought. "Living with my parents isn't exactly my ideal post-college arrangement. My dad's been trying to find time to help me search for a place to live. Actually, he's been insisting that he go with me." She paused to sip her tea.

"Why does he insist on going with you?"

Eva gave a tiny laugh at the thought. "Because he insists that only _he_ knows the safest areas in Gotham City." Bruce smiled at that. He could imagine his friend in anonymity saying those words to his daughter. She continued, "But his schedule as of late has been so hectic, he's had no time."

Bruce looked at her for a moment, thoughtful. He shrugged. "If it's safety he's worried about, I could always take you." Eva gave him a wide-eyed look. "I know my way around and where some of the best areas are." She looked on at him, incredulously. "That is, if you want. I didn't mean to-."

"Oh no. No, that's a really nice offer, but I couldn't possibly take up your time. I'm sure you have much more important things to do than show me around Gotham's real estate."

He gave a little laugh while leaning into the table. "I wouldn't mind at all, actually. I mean, I can always _buy_ more time if you cause me to lose out on too much of it." He gave her a sly wink. Eva was so easy to tease. She just gazed at him across the table. Bruce had to smile at her. She was so full of propriety. He wondered if she ever did _anything_ questionable, _ever_. When Eva gave him no reply, he opened his mouth to speak, but the waiter came in time to take their orders. Bruce ordered a rather hearty, but healthy, meal which did indeed include sushi, and Eva ordered her rather meager meal of soup and vegetables. After the waiter had left, Bruce gave her a look and she knew they were back where they had been before the server had come.

"Are you ever improprietous?" She had expected another defensive invitation, but the question quickly threw her off guard. They were indeed back where they had started.

"Excuse me?"

"You are quite possibly the most scandal wary female I have met, by far."

_Wow._ That was quite bold, even for a billionaire. The words he spoke were harsh, but if Eva didn't know better, his eyes were betraying his jest.

"Well, now that I know you think me immorally bankrupt, I think we've cleared some air." She couldn't help but laugh and she wasn't sure why.

"I would never have volunteered to go with you if I didn't want to. If I thought it a waste of time, the idea never would have come together." Now his eyes betrayed...sincerity. Eva found herself feeling guilty as his words.

Before she could grip the words and pull them back before they escaped her, she was apologizing.

"I'm sorry," she said and then stopped. Why was she sorry? She had to wonder. After all, he was the one that had called her "scandal wary" and "proprietous".

Wait, were those even insults?

Bruce sat across the table and watched her, a small smile crossing his face. She looked utterly confused. She took notice of his amusement and arched an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just wondering," she said flatly, "if 'scandal wary' and 'proprietous' could be classified as insults." Both of them stared at each other for a moment before sharing a laugh.

* * *

"...and that was pretty much why I decided to go to Metropolis for my college."

Bruce nodded at her answer to his question before taking a drink of his tea. A cell phone range in the distance and it prompted Eva to look at her watch. It was early still, she thought, only three. THREE?! _They were so late_.

Bruce took note the frantic look on her face. "What is it?"

Almost embarrassed to answer him, she looked past him, at the flower painted on the wall.

"You tricked me," she said. She knew before she ever even said it that he had, but it still felt good to say the words. He gave her a questioning look.

"How so?"

"I'm late." She paused for dramatic effect. "An hour and a half late."

"That's funny," he stated looking thoughtful, "who do you think is going to reprimand you?"

Eva shot him a look which he tried to avoid, but she had to admit, he had a point. She cleared her throat before answering. "The superiors." She avoided his eye contact; she had to say something.

"Eva, _I'm_ your superior."

"You know what I mean." Try as she might, she couldn't get mad.

Bruce signaled for the check as he mouthed the word 'propriety' at her. She threw her napkin at him then looked down at her plate in an attempt to hide her laughter.

The check came and she chided herself for not thinking to ask for a separate check. Without even looking her way, Bruce took out his wallet.

"Here," she said while pulling out her own wallet, "how much was my end?"

He looked up at her and took notice of her actions. "No, I insist."

"Bruce please, really, I want to pay for my half." Sometime during their long lunch, he had convinced her to call him Bruce instead of Mr. Wayne. She noticed how much less stuffy it made him sound, but it still felt a little awkward calling her boss by his first name. Eva gave him a look, then insisted again on paying her half. When he declined, she reached across the table and grabbed the check. Then she almost went blind at what she saw.

$78.60 was the total. Her half ended up totaling $32. Wow. And she was still hungry. That was some expensive soup. What the hell did they put in it? Gold? Bruce had to stifle back laughter at the look she had on her face, a mixture of shock, disbelief, and...fear? Meanwhile, Eva was silently cursing herself. All she had was a twenty-dollar bill on her. Her lunch mate gingerly reached across the table and took back the tab.

"It's on me." He said the words with such finality that she didn't want to argue back.

And she was thankful for that.

* * *

Aaron Adams glided down the hall to Bruce Wayne's office, well aware of the affirming looks some of the female employees were giving him. He knew he was good looking, obviously they knew he was good looking; he couldn't help it if he was a little arrogant. He pulled open the glass door to Bruce Wayne's office and walked up to the secretary's desk. Not looking up from the computer screen, Eva asked if she could help him.

"I would like to speak with Mr. Wayne."

She looked up at the man speaking and drew in her breath upon making eye contact.

"Name?" she exhaled.

"Aaron Adams." He appraised her very openly and wasn't shy in relaying his approval with his eyes.

"I'm sorry Mr. Adams, but there was no appointment recorded and Mr. Wayne is out of his office for the day." A lie, but Bruce had previously relayed to his secretary his disinclination for speaking with Mr. Adams. Eva just hoped Bruce wouldn't decide to pop out of his office any time soon. She appraised Aaron Adams' look and he gave no sign of discomfort. In fact, he just shrugged.

"Can I make an appointment then?"

Eva smiled at him. "Of course, when would you like?"

He gave her a thoughtful look. "How about this Friday night. Around eight."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry Mr. Wayne doesn't make business appointments at night."

"I wasn't enquiring after Mr. Wayne."

It took her a moment before realizing the meaning behind his words.

"I'm sorry," he said, though rather insincerely. "I shouldn't have. It's just that you have the most amazing feet I have ever seen and I couldn't resist a chance to take them out."

"My feet?"

"Yeah, see," he pointed to the bottom of her desk where her feet happened to be shoeless and sticking out. Eva found herself laughing at the absurdity. "So what then can I say for Friday night?"

She looked down then back up her inquisitor. She knew she shouldn't, _but..._

"Alright, that sounds nice."

A broad smile crept across Aaron Adams' handsome face. "Alright then, I'll give you a call here tomorrow."

Eva smiled as he retreated out of the office and back down the corridor. She was left to think about what had just transpired when she heard a voice directly behind her.

"What was that about?"

Startled, she turned to face her boss.

"I'm not sure."

"Thanks for covering for me, but it's really not necessary to date the man." Eva laughed at the look on his face. "What gave you the inclination to say yes?"

She thought for a moment before answering, then crossed her face with a wide smile.

"Impropriety."

* * *

_Sorry for such a long time between updates, I had finals, then a massive wave of writer's block hit me. Anyway, I hope to advance fairly well with this story now. Thanks for the reviews, and as always, don't forget to leave feedback for this chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

Detective Jim Gordon stood out on the roof top of the police station, the spot light, termed affectionately as the 'bat signal', was piercing it's sign through the clouds above. The police veteran was alone looking out across the city.

_Another long night,_ the Detective thought. A band of thugs had congregated in an old warehouse down by the docks. The police had disbanded them, and arrested half as many members as they would have liked. The ensuing battle proved to be bloody. Two officers were down, one on the verge of death after taking a round of bullets in his chest. It was a miracle he was still alive. In the wake of the aftermath, what they had found was challenging to say the least. Hidden in the darkest corner of the warehouse was a body, chained to the wall, lifeless and bloody. She had no identification on her, her face had been grotesquely mutilated, her teeth knocked out, her fingerprints skinned off. Whoever the girl was, and who specifically was behind this didn't want anyone to find her identity out. There were virtually no clues as to the incidence, least ways nothing of real substance. They had made a few arrests, but no one was talking.

"Gordon?" a raspy voice spoke. Jim turned around to face the direction of the speaker. He looked into two black holes that held no emotion whatsoever.

_Batman_.

"What is it tonight?" he continued on.

Gordon gave no hesitation in his reply; the two men were well used to their working relationship and had thus passed the uncertainty of words. "A warehouse down by the docks. We busted up some sort of gang activity, found this." He handed over freshly developed pictures of the cadaver. Batman studied the pictures without the slightest hesitation, then looked up at his silent friend.

"Have you identified it?"

"The only thing we know as of yet is that she's female. We have no name, no known connection, obviously, no information."

"I'll do what I can."

* * *

Eva Gordon took a sip from her glass of wine as she looked at her dinner date. Aaron Adams had proven to be quite the man. Upon first impressions, Eva had thought him to be arrogant and cursory, but after spending the last few hours with him, she was pleasantly surprised to find the man was quite different. Charming, intelligent, and respectful, not to mention good company and easily one of the most attractive men she had ever been on date with. In fact, she felt like he was very much out of her league and wondered why he decided to take _her_ out, when it was obvious that he could have just about any woman he wanted. She tried to push the self-conscious thoughts from her mind as he smiled over at her.

"Now what about you?" she began. "I've told you almost everything about my family. What about yours?"

He eyed her from across the table, an almost unnoticeable smirk forming on his lips. "Well, that would be because there really isn't much to tell, in that respect."

She arched an eyebrow in response, and he laughed. "Okay, okay. My father passed away when I was six. My mom raised me by taking me with her on her worldly travels. I don't have any siblings and all of my grandparents have passed on." Aaron took a swill of wine before chuckling. "Told you, not much to tell."

Eva eyed him sympathetically. "How did he pass on? Your father, I mean."

"Heart attack. He always had a horrible temper. That combined with high blood pressure did him in."

"What happened to Ashmore Industries when he died?"

"Actually the company went on hiatus for a few years. My father's death was a shock to everyone. No one expected him to pass on so young. The company hadn't been thought about, at least not by way of what would happen to it in the event the founder died. My father hadn't planned that far ahead. So several of the higher ups took legal action to fight over it. My mother tried to get involved, but was sorely beaten out of it. She never had any real interest in the company and couldn't hold her own with men that obviously knew far more about it than she did. It took a lot of legal action to get the company handed back over to my family."

"And what happened to your mom? Where is she at now?"

A small smile crossed his face. "She is happily living in a tiny mansion in the south of France, enjoying more than just the country side, I'm sure." Eva giggled at that.

Aaron shifted in his seat and took notice of the light music being played by the string quartet positioned in the corner of the restaurant. He looked over at his date and smiled. "Would you care to dance?" She smiled in return and nodded as Aaron rose from his seat, extended his hand towards her and led her to the floor.

* * *

It was late by the time Aaron and Eva realized they were the only two customers left in the restaurant. They decided to call it a night and he drove her home then walked her to the back door of her house.

"Thank-you for a really nice evening, Aaron," she said as they approached the door. Turning to face him, Eva smiled over to her toe-headed companion.

"No, the pleasure was all mine tonight. I'd like to see you again, if that's okay?"

She nodded up at him, completely aware of the proximity with which he was standing. Aaron gently placed his hand on her waist and smoothed the side the of her dress, leaning in to kiss her. She kissed him back if only for a brief moment before he pulled away.

"I'll give you a call then?"

She nodded again, not wishing him to leave.

"Goodnight."

She waved at his retreating figure. "Goodnight." Watching him get in his car and drive away, Eva reflectively leaned against the back door, thinking of the previous few hours. That man had cast a spell, she was sure of it.

"Nice date?"

Eva glanced up to address the questioner then almost screamed in shock. Staring down at her from the rail of the staircase by the door was none other than Batman. She could do little else other than stare. Then annoyance flashed through her as she regained her composure. Had he been standing there the entire time?

"Geez, nice way to greet someone. What do you want?"

Batman jumped down from his crouching position on the rail and moved toward her. He outstretched his arm to hand her a manilla envelope. "Give this to your dad."

She took the envelope in her hand, turning it over to examine it. "Why? What's in it?"

"Information, for your _father_." His voice was gruff, but the emphasis he put on 'father' was unmistakable. Eva was about to ask why he just didn't give it to him himself, when the dark cloaked figure just vanished. She was left to stare after his empty spot in bewilderment.

_That was...weird, _she thought. The young woman turned on her heels and entered her house, thoughtful over what had just transpired. Laying the envelope on the kitchen table, Eva bent over and took off her heels before continuing on her trek up to her room. She had noticed that her father's car was parked in the drive way which meant that he was home. With the late nights and early mornings he had been pulling lately, she didn't want to wake him, so tried to be as quiet as she could be while moving through the house. She made it to her room, undressed, then went into the bathroom to wash off her make-up and brush her teeth. By the time her head hit the pillow, she was still in deep thought about her very brief but surprising meeting with Batman.

* * *

_Short chapter, I know, but still enjoyable I hope! Please don't forget to review. Love it, hate it, I'd like to know, so don't hesitate...review!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello everyone! Sorry (once again) for such a long time between updates. I have to be honest, I was trying to get the story down right before I continued on with another chapter. I knew what I wanted to do, but there were several plot points that I was getting hung up on. Hopefully now, things will go smoother. And I apologize again for the long wait. You guys are great with the reviews. I really appreciate them. :-)_

* * *

Bruce Wayne sauntered down the main stairwell of Wayne Mansion feeling a little more than groggy, but trying fervently to fight back the weariness. Though he hadn't gone out as his dark-cloven alter ego the night before, he had reluctantly gone out to eat and drink at a cocktail party held by a person whose name he had long since forgotten and was escorted by a vaporous brunette whose name he never really caught. It made no difference, his mind was elsewhere. The pictures of that dead girl's body which he had glanced upon only two nights before with great surreptitiousness, were now as vivid as if she were right before him. He had found little information out, despite much time spent on research. Whoever was behind this had done well to cover their tracks. Apparently none of the thugs apprehended had offered any information, either, making this case feel treacherously lost.

Bruce made his way into the kitchen and was greeted by his rather old, but loyal companion.

"Good morning, Master Bruce."

"Morning, Alfred." Bruce aggressively rubbed his face with his hand in a vain attempt to rub out the fatigue. Alfred only half-smiled. His admiration and respect deep down gave him much pride for "his" boy. Bruce was not only one of the most disciplined and well-trained men he knew, but also the most intelligent and dedicated.

Bruce walked around the island that was in the middle of the kitchen and opened a cabinet door to reach in and get a coffee mug. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he took a long look out the window over the sink. "Looks like rain again today." He didn't particularly mind the rain, he just hoped it stopped before tonight, seeing as how it made his nightly activities that much more difficult. Alfred turned around to look out the window as well, already aware of the weather.

"Yes, sir. I took the liberty of placing an umbrella in one of your cars."

Bruce laughed at that. "Batman doesn't walk around with an umbrella."

"Indeed not, sir, but Bruce Wayne does, especially when he is escorting a very pretty young woman around Gotham City."

The younger man's eyes widened at remembering the plans he had made for this afternoon. "Apartment hunting." He couldn't believe he had forgotten. Then a sullen thought crossed his mind. What if Eva had forgotten? The dreamy-eyed complexion she had doused upon her face after Aaron Adams had left her on her doorstep hadn't escaped his attention, nor had the kiss they had shared. Adams was such a weasel. Bruce had never really liked the guy, but now he had more than enough reason to totally despise him. He turned to face Alfred who was staring at him in return.

"Shall I call Miss Gordon and remind her of the plans, Master Bruce?"

Bruce shook his head before draining the remaining contents of his cup down his throat.

"That won't be necessary, Alfred," he said before he left the kitchen and walked back up the main stairwell.

* * *

Jim Gordon was sitting at his kitchen table looking over the contents that a certain large envelope contained, while talking with his daughter.

"And that's all that he said?"

Eva Gordon had run the "conversation" she had with the Batman over in her head a million times that weekend. "Pretty much," she said while drying her hands on a dish towel. "He stared at me for a while, handed me the envelope, then made sure that I understood that it was for you." She smirked at that. _Like I'm some grade school child about to disobey the teacher_, she thought sardonically. Her father sat back in his chair, silently trying to fit the pieces of what was given him together. None of it made sense and he was wondering why the Super Detective gave it to him. Perhaps _he_ didn't know what the key to the puzzle was, either. When searching to identify the victim, it didn't help to search through the missing persons cases. There were so many, she could have been any one of them. Detective Gordon looked over all the evidence one more time before placing it all back inside the envelope. He would submit it to the lab for analysis, but he was sure that it would come back with nothing significant. Something told him that Batman had run his own tests, and if anything had shown up, he would have specified. Gordon decided to give the issue a rest for now. Besides, there was an issue that he had meant to talk with his daughter about earlier on in the weekend.

"This Aaron Adams guy, whats the thing with him?"

Eva was washing the dishes and turned slightly to look at her father. "What do you mean?" She was a little amused by his question; he crossed his arms.

"Was he a good guy or a bad guy? Did he treat you with respect?" He took a pause while watching his daughter scrub at a pot that had contained roast the night before. He continued, "Did he touch you?"

Eva dropped the pot she was washing and turned to face her father. Then she started laughing. She couldn't help it. When she was younger, that kind of question would have driven her insane, but now she found it to be rather _endearing_. She leaned up against the counter and folded her arms across her chest, a broad smile across her face. "Nothing inappropriate, I assure you. We danced, but made sure to keep at least twelve inches of space between us."

"Eva..." He gave her a menacing look, but she just laughed.

"Well, would you rather me have said that we jumped each other inside his vehicle?"

"Eva!"

"Well..."

"I just want you to be careful," her father smiled up at her. "Sometimes these guys with money think they own the world and that it holds no boundaries for them. No one knows much about this Adams character. The guy has a pretty mysterious past."

Eva wasn't sure what to say to that and so was thankful when the phone rang.

"Hello? Yeah, just a minute." She put the phone down and walked back over to the sink. "It's for you."

Her father stood up, looking years older already, and grabbed the phone. "Gordon...Oh no...When?...No, no...I'm on my way." Gordon hung up the phone and turned to his daughter. She had been watching him the entire time.

"Bad news?" She asked.

"I've got to get up to the station." His eyes searched his daughters, but she only nodded. Eva had been more than used to this, though she did find that his work was much more demanding since his promotion. James Gordon walked into the living room and bent over to hug his two boys and then stood up to turn back into the kitchen. "Tell your mother, when she gets back, to give me a call."

Eva nodded while she watched her father walk out the door.

* * *

James Gordon stepped through the doors of the Gotham City Police Crime Lab, anxious to speak with the person that called him. He stopped at the front of a large room filled with different gadgets used for analysis. His eyes began to inspect the room with their quiet professionalism and caught sight of a tiny woman in a white lab coat walking over to him. She greeted him with a smile and extended her hand out towards Gordon which he shook.

"Detective Gordon. It's nice to see you again."

"Hello Lisa. Your timing is impeccable. I thought that I might escape with a day of not having to come into work."

The tiny brunette laughed while leading Gordon over to a table that had several official looking papers and a folder strewn across the top of it. "The autopsy report came back. I thought you might want to have a look at it personally." Lisa handed over a paper, which Gordon took and skimmed through before resting his eyes on a certain section.

"My God," he said, almost inaudibly. "Are they sure?"

This caused the woman to smirk with a mirthless chuckle. "Positive. Something like that isn't easily mistaken."

Gordon sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair. "That changes things up a bit. I'll have the case reclassified...to a double homicide."

* * *

Bruce Wayne stepped up to the front door of the Gordon residence. He was a little nervous, which was something that he couldn't quite figure out. He was never nervous. Instead, he had trained himself to remain a steady cool in most situations. However, he found that all his training and practice was useless in midst of a certain young woman, of which even he was baffled.

Bruce rang the doorbell and hoped that Eva hadn't _forgotten_. A few moments later, he was greeted at the door by a short golden haired boy that stared up at him with insatiable curiosity. Bruce looked down at him for a moment before realizing this was one of Eva's brothers, Gordon's son.

"Hi. Is your sister-"

"Connor!" Bruce looked up at the hearing the young boy's name being yelled out from somewhere deep in the house. "Get away from the door! You know better than that. If mom was here she would have-" Eva opened the front door wider to see who was standing at it and stopped mid sentence when she came face to face with her boss and newly acquainted friend. "Bruce. Hi," she smiled up at him. "Come in, please." He stepped through the door and took in the scene before him. There were toys and clothes everywhere. Eva herself looked unkempt, which was pleasantly unusual for her. She looked quite relaxed and comfortable in her knit shorts and tee shirt. Judging from her appearance, Bruce knew she had forgotten about apartment hunting. "I'm so sorry about the mess. We were just playing and things got a little out of hand." She led Bruce over to the couch, where her two brothers were both playing with each other and staring at Bruce in awe. "You two, say hi to Bruce Wayne. This is my boss." They both continued to stare at him in awe and gave a little word of hello. "You've already met Connor. This little brat is Justin. He is absolutely obsessed with Batman. In fact that's what we were playing. I was robbing the 'bank', Connor was the Police Officer, and Justin was Batman." Eva smiled over at Bruce who returned the gesture. "But you two need to start cleaning up. Mom will freak out if she comes home and sees this mess." Both of the little boys gave groans of annoyance, but reluctantly began to grab toys and move them into another room of which Bruce couldn't see.

"If this is a bad time, I can come back." He was unsure of whether or not to remind her of the reason behind his visit.

"No. No. It's fine. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" She said with a smile. Bruce was looking intently at her with an emotion Eva wasn't able to decipher. Immediately, she felt self-conscious at her disheveled appearance.

"I set up the appointment with the real estate agent, but if today is a bad day, we can always reschedule." He hid his disappointment quite well. Eva quickly threw a hand up to her forehead and smacked it hard, causing Bruce to chuckle._ Of course_! She thought. Her thoughts had been so intertwined with her brief rendezvous with Batman that she had completely forgot about her plans with Bruce.

"I am so sorry. This weekend has been...weird to say the least. My mom should be back from shopping any moment now. Let me just run upstairs and get ready. It won't take me long." She stood up and started towards the stairwell before stopping. "You don't mind keeping an eye on the boys for a few moments do you?" He gave her a slight smile in response and she smiled in return before dashing up the stairs.

Bruce felt a slight tug on his left arm and turned to see Justin standing by his side, eyes wide and questioning. "You want to play Batman with us?"

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks everyone that has reviewed! I didn't think this story would get such a positive reaction, so I am glad to know that it is being enjoyed. I finally figured out that all I had to do was switch off my Virus Protection to get Open Office downloaded... Yeah, I'm not too bright. C'est La Vie. _

* * *

"Anything new?"

Jim Gordon pulled his firm grip of sight over Gotham City to face the deep, raspy voice that had affronted him on top of Police Headquarters. "Only the autopsy report. Thought you might find it interesting that I'm reclassifying the case."

The Batman took the papers that Gordon had handed him and began to read the report. "Pregnant?" He wasn't shocked, but appalled, though if any trace of emotion was in his voice, Gordon couldn't find any.

He nodded his head, "It's being reclassified to a double-homicide." Batman, finished with the papers, handed them back to the Detective and reached into his utility belt to fish out a tiny bag containing what appeared to be exactly what it was. "A cuff link?"

"The only evidence I could find after your men swept through there."

"Any information?"

"A smudged partial print."

"Any trace as to what type of suit it belongs to?"

The Batman only smirked at his working partner. "I'm working on it."

* * *

Eva Gordon sat at her desk in Wayne Tower, tapping her pen on top of the note pad she used to dictate letters and such from Mr. Bruce... er, Mr. Wayne. She was so confused. Her boss was her friend. Her only friend in this huge city, was her boss. Returning to Gotham had definitely proved interesting. She starts dating a jet setting multi-millionaire, meets the Dark Knight at her back door stoop, and goes apartment hunting with Bruce Wayne himself. Speaking of Bruce, he was supposed to be in his office an hour ago. A man named Alan Scott had been sitting in the waiting area, albeit patiently, for about 45 minutes. She looked over to the man and smiled. He smiled back.

"I'm really sorry. I'm sure he'll be in any minute."

"It's fine. I've learned one thing over the years: Patience really is a virtue."

Eva smiled again and decided to pick up the phone and call her repetitiously tardy employer, on his cell phone, which was quite weird for her. Usually she just called Wayne Manor and one way or another Alfred the butler would relay the message. But since this _was_ business related (and, she assumed, that would be the only reason Bruce Wayne would ever give her his private number), she decided to start dialing. It rang. Then rang again. Then some more...

"Eva! Check out time already?"

How jovial. "Mr. Wayne-"

"Bruce."

"Mr. Wayne," she persisted, matter of factly. The last thing she wanted was someone from the Gotham Broadcasting Company to catch her calling her boss by his first name. "A Mr. Alan Scott is here for you." Eva turned toward the wall her computer was against in the hopes that it would muffle out her voice against the visitor. "He's been waiting for over an hour to make your appointment." A slight exaggeration , but she wanted to get the point across.

"Has he now?" Came the reply, only it wasn't over the phone. Eva turned suddenly to see her boss standing in front of her desk. Bruce clicked his phone shut and gave her a smile while walking over to his guest and greeting him. She gave a small smile to her notepad she had been tapping so diligently with her pen not five minutes before, as the two men walked into Bruce's office and shut the door.

Bruce Wayne really was charming. It was easy for Eva to see how women could fall for him. Not that that would ever happen to her.

* * *

"So have you made up your mind?"

Bruce Wayne sat comfortably at his desk, looking intently at Eva, who was situated in the chair adjacent. She wrinkled her nose in thought as how to tactfully reciprocate the thoughts she had been thinking since their apartment expedition. "I actually really liked the last apartment we looked at. It was just the right... size." _And the right price,_ she thought.

"Good, I'll call Lance and have him begin the process."

"It's just..." Eva began, not quite sure how to get to the point.

"It's just... What?" he prompted.

_Oh to hell with it._ "It's just that this job is only temporary," she began while unconsciously squeezing the pen she had gripped between her fingers. "I started thinking about that while we were viewing some of the apartments. I mean, I've been submitting my resume to every place I can think of, but as of yet, no returns." She took a pause. Bruce looked like he was listening. So she lapsed on. "I just don't want the whole thing to be fruitless if I have to move back in with my parents." Now he was staring out of his window. After a long moment, he turned back and smiled at her.

"This is Wayne Enterprises, I'm sure you would be a valuable asset to the company somewhere. Don't worry about that."

Before Eva had a chance to respond, a male voice called out a hello from the main office. She quickly got up and went to greet the stranger. "May I help you?"

"I'm looking for a ... Miss Eva Gordon?"

"I am she."

"Great. Sign here to verify and we're all set."

The courier handed her a clip board, which she signed, then dutifully handed over a package to her: a small white box with blue ribbon wrapped around it and tied in a bow on top. "I'll give it to Mr. Wayne right away. Thank you."

The man looked at her incredulously and smirked. "The delivery is for _you._" Baffled, she looked at the box as the courier went through the double doors and headed back to the elevator.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Bruce said, peering from behind her.

Curiosity peeking her interest, she carefully untied the bow and then slipped the top of the box off. What she found inside baffled her even more. Staring up at her was what appeared to be a diamond bracelet. And those diamonds were no small matter. Bruce gave an astonished chuckle. "Looks like you did something right."

Eva turned and glared up at him then back down at the bracelet. She was half way afraid to touch it. "Yeah, or a way for me to pay rent once Anette comes back."

Bruce laughed. "What does the card say?"

Slowly, she opened the envelope and slid out the card. Tearing her eyes off the bracelet, she began to read aloud the card's message.

_Just a little Sparkle to brighten your day. _

_-- Aaron _

Now, she really was confused.


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting on the floor of her parent's guest bedroom, empty boxes around her, Eva Gordon found herself staring at the diamond bracelet which she has set down on the bed, still in the box, as she wasn't sure she wanted to touch it. She really didn't think that one date should elicit such an elaborate gift. Though the bracelet _was_ beautiful, it almost made her feel... _cheap? Bought? Unsettled? _Most certainly unsettled. It wasn't in her to accept such a gift, atleast after one date. After nearly an hour of focusing on the bracelet and NOT on packing, she decided that the next time she saw Aaron, she would return it. Yes, after thinking about it, she would indeed return it. And not mention a single word of it to her parents.

She sighed.

When had her life turned from boring and ordinary to _this_? And at that, she wasn't even sure what _this_ was. She was dating an extremely wealthy and affluent business man who had ties to world over, and had befriended one of the world's most influential and powerful men.

_Bruce._

She said the name over in her head. If anything was a surprise, it was definitely her relationship with Bruce Wayne. He was nothing like how he tried to present himself to the public. He wasn't a moron, he wasn't vain, he wasn't incompetent, and he definitely wasn't a womanizer. Of course, Eva knew that he had developed a certain liking to her, though she wouldn't flatter herself to believe anything further than that. She was no amazon beauty and had no real societal ties, though she knew Bruce didn't really take those types of women seriously. But for whatever reason, he perpetually decided to link himself with women that were lucky to have an IQ barely above mental retardation standards. She couldn't deny that if she could choose how her life would go, he would definitely be in it, but that was a course of thought she had strained to hold back. She couldn't let herself fall for a man that obviously had secrets and wanted to hide who he really was from the world.

All of this lead her back to the bracelet. There it was right in front of her, sparkling and beautiful, and completely keeping her from the task she should be fulfilling: packing. If she had known Aaron longer, been dating him for longer than a week, she wouldn't have to keep herself from feeling so awkward. But this present in itself had just made her feel weird. It was so wrong, and she knew it. Bruce had told her before they both left his office that she should be careful; that he didn't feel right about such a lavish gift. Him saying that should have insulted her, if she hadn't agreed with him 100%.

Eva closed the box and set it beside her on the ground. Rubbing her eyes, she stood up and stretched. She didn't have time for this. Bruce had gotten the apartment ready for her move in, and she couldn't wait to get done with the moving... All she had to do was actually get started.

XXXXX

Bruce rubbed his eyes wearily. He had abandoned his quest to find more information and evidence in the slaying of the young woman in the warehouse, for the time being. He was onto a new project _ Aaron Adams_. Eva was the daughter of a police detective, not a plastic socialite with a taste for the expensive. She was beautiful in her own way, but by no means a looker of statuesque proportions. The gift Aaron had given her set off alarm bells, and from the look on Eva's face, Bruce could tell his weren't the only ones dinging to life. She simply was not the type of woman that just accepted something like that at face value. Adams was up to something, that was obvious, but perhaps he thought that with such a meager life, Eva would be flattered and not suspicious.

_Wrong._

She hadn't voiced her concerns per se, but she was definitely skeptical. _That's right Adams, she's no bimbo._

For the last two hours, Bruce had poured over histories in Adams' life. He youth, his subsequent loss of his family's company, to how he regained it, his family, though there was not much in the way of that. His mother had taken up residence somewhere in the South of France some years ago, but hadn't been back to the States in years. In fact no one had heard from her, not even her closest friends and family. Not to mention, no one had been out to that part of the world to visit her since she left. Strange and suspect. If there was one thing that Bruce Wayne had learned in all his years as an individual, it was that nothing was as it seemed. He was living proof.

Perhaps it was time for that meeting Aaron had been wanting to have for some time. Maybe that would give more insight into his motives.

XXXX

The following day, Eva was tired. Having stayed up well past midnight to pack, she only had about 3 hours of sleep total. She sucked down as much coffee as she could before Bruce was set to come into the office. They still had some files to go through before his report was due at the board meeting.

She grabbed the notes Bruce had written over the files they had reviewed thus far and began tasking away on the keyboard of her computer. Eva tried to stay diligent on the task at hand, but it didn't take long for her to begin to feel the burn of that _damn_ bracelet she had placed in her desk. _I'll never get any work done if I don't deal with this... NOW._ She stopped typing and looked at the clock on her computer screen. It was 8am on the dot. _ Not too early to call_, she thought and without a second thought, Eva picked up the phone and dialed Aaron's cell phone. She let it ring until, at last, his voice mail chimed on. "Aaron, this is Eva. I'd like to meet for lunch, if you have the time today. Give me a call back when you get this." she clicked off. Now to think on what she was actually going to say. She didn't want to insult the man, but if she didn't be firm and blunt, she may suffer him not getting the message of how the bracelet was received. Eva took the bracelet out from her desk drawer and looked at it once more.

Sighing, she spoke softly to herself, "Who knew diamonds could be such trouble?".

"And what a beautiful sight those are."

Eva immediately looked up and smiled when she looked into Alfred Pennyworth's eyes. The kind old man smiled back down at her. "Alfred. How nice to see you," she said, standing up. She couldn't help it, Eva found herself walking around her desk to give the man a gentle hug.

"And you as well. I would ask how you are doing, but it's quite obvious from the look on your face, you're genuinely perplexed."

"Well, yes. I..." she wasn't sure how to word exactly what she was thinking about without giving Alfred an offset idea of what kind of woman she really was. "It's this bracelet. I'm not entirely sure how return it to it's gifter," she explained.

"Ah, yes. Master Bruce told me about it."

At that, she arched an eyebrow. "He did?"

"Indeed, and I have to say, giving it back is the right course of action."

"How though? I don't want to insult Aaron, but..."

"But at the same time, you feel insulted?" Eva nodded her head in agreement.

"Then explain that. You can't have even a meager friendship without the cradle of honesty."

Alfred smiled at her, and she nodded her head again. He was right. She would find the right words to explain that to Aaron.

"On a different note," Alfred began, "I came to let you know that Master Bruce won't be coming in today."

"Oh?"

"He has some meetings elsewhere in the city to attend."

"I wasn't aware of any meetings."

"No, they are of a personal nature, Miss Gordon. But he did ask me to give you this." He pulled a manilla envelope out from under his shoulder and handed them over to her. "These are some more files, ones he found in his desk at the Manor."

She took them and silently groaned. _More files_. "Thanks Alfred, I'll be sure to review them."

He shook his head. "Master Bruce has looked them over, as well, and left some notes inside for you."

"Of course."

"I should be off, but let me just say, Miss Gordon, if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Eva smiled once more. "Of course, Alfred. Thank you."

He turned to leave, and when she saw him disappear down the corridor to the office wing, she sat back down at her desk and opened the envelope. Pulling out the file folder, she instantly read the name that appeared. "AARON ADAMS"

Bruce kept a file on the guy? She supposed he would afterall, he kept several files on people he considered to be business associates or rivals. But something inside of her told her that this wasn't just a business file. What was Bruce up to?

XXXXX

_Sorry, dear readers, for such a very long delay in updating. I never forgot this story, but I had the damnedest time finding the right wording for everything. I can't promise timely updates, but from now on I am bound and determined to finish this story to the bitter end. As always, reviews are a welcome sight and they really do help to get me motivated. I'm looking for a beta, so if you are interested, please, send me a note. I've been out of touch of writing for a while, and could use a little help. See you next chapter! _


	11. Chapter 11

Eva sat back in her chair. It was nearing noon and she was hungry. She picked up the unopened file folder Bruce had sent to her via Alfred and put it in the top drawer of her desk. Whatever was inside could wait until she came back from her lunch break. Aaron had not called her back and she thought that was probably for the best. She had to collect her thoughts and figure out what she was going to say, regardless of how appealing the idea of shoving the bracelet in his face and running away may seem. She was mystified by Bruce as well. He was taking a day off for personal appointments when he had a big presentation for the board members due in less than a week. Eva was behind in typing out the reports. She felt like calling him, but thought better of it. Instead, she walked her way to the elevator and rode down to the main lobby, deciding to try the horrific food that was supposedly culminated by the restaurant in Wayne Tower. She would figure out what to do.

When Eva returned to the office, she saw that the message light on the phone was blinking. She settled back into the comfortable rolling chair and listened to the messages. Three were from Heidi and one was from Bruce. She deleted Heidi's messages and dialed her boss' number.

"Eva?" Bruce's smooth greeting tingled in her ear.

"Mr. Wayne?" She could sense his silent reprisal over the phone and she smirked at that.

"I need you to send the preliminary reports of the military AEDs you gave me a few days ago."

"Of course, I'll have a Currier get them. Where am I sending them to? Wayne Manor?"

"No, I'm here at Ashmore Industries. I've been in some business proposals this morning with Aaron Adams-you remember him right?"

Eva ignored his baiting remark and cleared her throat. "I'll have them sent right over. Or, if you prefer, I could deliver them myself." _Asshole_

"Oh no. That's not necessary, just have the Currier send them over. I should be in the office this afternoon to brief you on the proposals."

Then the line went dead. So he was with Aaron all morning. _Interesting_. That explains why Aaron didn't call her back. Eva sent for the Currier and ran into Bruce's office to find the preliminary reports. Upon finding them, she went to the copier and copied them, keeping the originals for the office and slipped the copies into a fresh manilla envelope. The Currier arrived and she sent them on their merry way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you see, Bruce, selling me the mock ups for the AEDs could and will end up benefiting you as well as me."

Bruce Wayne smirked at the man sitting in front of him. Aaron Adams. A regular snake of a man. He despised this little weasel. Not only for Aaron's appraisal of Eva, but for reasons other than the superficial. Aaron Adams was a shady man. Everyone had a different version of the "facts" of his life, none of which were facts, Bruce was sure. He wasn't sure what was behind Aaron, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. Years ago, at a charity ball, Bruce had the misfortune of having a few minutes alone with him. Bruce asked a base question, _Where are you from?_, not having been aware who his parents were. Aaron introduced himself, told him he was educated in Switzerland and attended University of Glasgow, so it stood to reason why Bruce has never heard of him. The next day, Bruce checked out the story and could find no record of Aaron ever being educated in Switzerland or of him attending Glasgow. Bruce asked around and everyone seemed to have a different story attached to their knowledge of Adams. He was hiding something, and whatever it was, it was big.

"Well, hopefully we can come to an agreement. I do encourage entrepreneurship, of course, but I'm a business man Adams. I'll take a few days to look the proposal over and give it some thought. I'll get back to you by the end of the week." Bruce stood up.

"Of course, take your time." Aaron stood up as well. The two men shook hands and Bruce straightened out his jacket. "Good to see you Bruce. Be sure to tell your secretary hello for me."

Bruce chuckled. "I'll leave that to you," he said as he was walking out. "I don't mix business with pleasure."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was five o'clock before Bruce got to his office. Eva was sitting at the desk, typing away at the computer. Bruce smile at her.

"I was just starting the report," she said.

"Come into my office." Eva grabbed her notepad and made her way into Bruce's office. "So Aaron is looking to buy the mock ups for those AEDs. He claims his company is trying to make a comeback."

She looked at him skeptically. "Would that be wise?" she asked. "For you, I mean."

"Ashmore Industries will never be what Wayne Enterprises is. They are small in scale and would never be able reach the clientele we've gained. What my concerns are don't include a downfall for my company." Eva nodded for Bruce to continue. "It's his selling the AEDs I'm concerned with. I work with the US Government exclusively. I don't sell to the highest bidder. That's how I've kept my company so clean. I'm not so certain Aaron has made that same decisions regarding his businesses."

"What you're saying is, you want to make sure he doesn't sell them to the US' enemies."

Bruce nodded. "Being a shrewd business man isn't about idealism, its about making money. I have the money to be idealistic-"

"-but Aaron doesn't?"

"That's what I intend to find out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eva figured Aaron would have been too busy to have dinner with her that evening. So when he called her and her asked to dine with him, she was surprised. It was another very expensive restaurant and Eva felt out of place.

"I hear you're moving into an apartment," Aaron said.

"Yes, finally. It feels good to not be a burden to my parents."

"Where are you moving to?"

Eva sipped her wine, then set the glass down. "Embassy Hall. There was a nice townhouse available. Bruce is renting it to me cheap until I can get something more stable. For work, I mean."

Aaron looked across the table at her, showing no emotion. "So Bruce Wayne is helping you?" He asked with a baseless tone. Eva answered with a simple nod in the affirmative. There was something in his tone that chilled her. She wasn't sure if it was because of him or because others were so leery of him. "You aren't wearing your bracelet."

This was the topic Eva was avoiding, but she was thankful that he was the one to bring it up. "About that actually," she wrinkled her brow and looked down. She opened her mouth to speak, but Aaron broke in.

"You don't like it?"

Eva was quick to counter him. "No! No, it isn't that at all. The bracelet is absolutely beautiful. I just can't accept it."

Aaron laughed. _He laughed._ "Why not?"

"I've only just started to see you. It wouldn't be right," she said gently. "I appreciate it, though."

"Ah, I see," he said. "It's because you are worried about what others will think." Aaron seemed to ponder this notion for a few long seconds before speaking again. "Well, _you_ are absolutely beautiful and should be showered with gifts like that everyday. If it's them you are worried about, Eva, don't. Gotham citizens have always had a special place in their hearts for creating stories about people that aren't true. Take the bracelet as a token of my appreciation of you."

Eva smiled nervously. How could she tell him that she just didn't want it? It didn't suit her. Where in the hell would she ever wear something like that? But she never got the chance to form the words. Her thoughts were brutally interrupted by screaming and the thunderous sound of gunshots.


	12. Chapter 12

Almost immediately, Eva threw her hands up to her head to instinctively protect it. She looked over to the door and saw it being blocked off by a group of masked men. In the center of the floor stood a burly looking man with ragged brown hair and a scarred face. He aimed the gun he was holding up to the ceiling and unloaded a few shots, purportedly to get everyone's attention. _What the hell was going on?_

"Generous citizens of Gotham, don't be afraid!" the man said as he surveyed his crowd. He had everyone's full attention. "I'm here only to receive the _very _generous donations you all are about to make. If you cooperate, you will live to finish your dinner. If you don't, well, I'm sure you can imagine what will happen, without dramatic examples. But just to liven the mood," the man aimed his gun directly at a group of servers that had huddled in the corner. He let loose his gunfire. Three of them fell to the ground. There was shrieks and screams all around the room, but no one dared move to help. _Wonderful_, Eva thought,_ I'm smack in the middle of a high profile stick up and I have absolutely no money or jewelry to give these people. Why didn't I wear that stupid bracelet?_

"My friends are walking around, if you will take off your jewelry and stick it in the bags. I'm not interested in cash or cards, just your jewels."

_Now I really should have worn that bracelet._

Three men were circling the room with black velvet bags ushering in the jewelry that was worn by the patrons in the room. The thieves were taking everything from anklets to wallet chains. One of the thugs made his way to Eva and Aaron's table, and observing that she only wore a thin "Y" necklace around her neck, held the bag out to her expectantly. She began to take the necklace off. It had been a birthday present from her parents when she turned seventeen. Her heart was reluctant to release it, but her hands moved ardently to remove the necklace. Eva glared at the masked man as she placed it in the black bag.

"You too, pretty boy," the thug said to Aaron. Aaron removed his watch and placed it in the bag. "Those too." The two men glared at each other for a few seconds before Aaron began to unhinge the cufflinks. He tossed them into the bag and the thug moved on.

Eva and Aaron looked at each other. She had absolutely no idea what to do. Her pulse was racing and she could feel the heat in her cheeks. She was too scared to cry; she didn't want to move for fear of something bad happening if she did. Aaron stood there casting glances around the room, rubbing his wrist where his watch used to rest. In a matter of minutes, the whole ordeal was over. Aaron walked over to Eva and stroked the side of her arm. "Are you OK?"

Eva blinked at him and nodded her head in affirmation. She took a step back and rubbed her face in a rather ungraceful manner. "It's over, right?"

"Yes, it's over. I believe they've all gone."

"Good," she said. "I need to call my father."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

James Gordon was out at the docks, canvasing over the grisly murder scene once more. He refused to believe that this poor woman was brutalized and murdered in such a way, only to have no justice to be served.

"Sometimes it's difficult to believe that humans can be as cruel as they are." Gordon looked up after saying this. He knew Batman had arrived.

"We will catch the person responsible for this."

Gordon ignored his comment. "Hard to believe that anything like this could happen. The coroner estimates the woman's age to be around twenty-four. Almost the same age as my daughter. I have to wonder if there is a father out there somewhere, worried to death over his daughter and when we do finally ID her, we have to confirm his worst fears. At the end of the day, after dealing with this depravity over and over, when I go home and see my family, they keep me grounded. I can't imagine what I'd be like if that was taken away."

Batman remained silent for a few minutes. The detective inside him struggled to stay together. The angry man, the scared boy that stayed locked away threatened to tell Gordon just what it was like to have your whole family stolen from you in an instant. He charged those emotions back and instead cleared his throat. "The cufflink you gave me, I analyzed it. It didn't return much, but I was able to isolate it's location of manufacture and sale." The dark knight handed the artifact to Gordon. He continued: "There is a small, but respected jewelry designer located in Montpellier, where the cufflink is from. His name is Francois Petrau. If I can locate this man, I can find out who purchased it."

"That's great, but that's out of Gotham's-" Gordon was interrupted by the ring of his cell phone. "Gordon."

"Dad?" A shaky voice asked.

"Eva?" Gordon turned around to face the wall. "Are you alright? You sound upset."

Her voice was audibly wobbly. It was a feat for her to get the words out. "I'm OK, but I was just held up. A couple of people were shot."

"Held up? Where are you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. The thieves are gone, I think. I'm at the Hotel Riviera."

"Hotel Riviera, OK, I'll be there as fast as I can." Gordon hung up and turned back to face his mysterious partner, but he has already left.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Hotel Riviera. With that god-awful prick,_ Bruce thought. He rushed as fast as he could to change out of Batman's uniform and into Bruce Wayne's. Alfred had met him in a dark alley and now he was on his way to the restaurant. _If anything happened to her, if he had anything to do with this, I will make him pay._ Bruce had thought better of running into the Hotel decked out with proverbial guns blazing as Batman. Eva had seemed stand offish the first encounter he had with her. He didn't want to cause more stress than was necessary. When he arrived at the hotel, he acted sheepish and shocked that police were all over the premises. He approached what appeared to be a manager. "What happened here?"

"A huge mess!" the employee said shakily. "All these masked men came rushing in before anyone knew what to do. They killed three of my employees and stole everyone's jewelry. 'No cash' they said. 'No cards'. Just jewels is all they wanted. So strange. I just don't understand."

Bruce nodded in agreement. "That _is _strange," he said. "I don't suppose the kitchen is still open though?"

The man only gave Bruce a grieved look. Those crooks had to know that most of those jewels that they stole would be more traceable than the credit cards they didn't want to take. He decided to move on. He walked into the round room that served as the Hotel's main dining room. _Eva, Eva, Eva, where are you?_ He thought. After much glancing around he finally found her hidden behind a pillar, surrounded by a group of men, including her father and Adams. When Eva spotted Bruce, he was on the outskirts of the group. She silently walked over to him and cast her arms around him in one of the oddest displays of affection. She wasn't quite sure what possessed her bear hug her boss, but at that moment, when she felt his arms go around her and his cheek rest on her head, the stress and fear of the night melted away. It felt good to have a friend on her side. Immediately, she felt better.

Eva held on to him for a few long seconds before reluctantly regaining her composure. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know what came over me."

Bruce gave her a sympathetic smile and gently stroked her shoulder. "It's OK. You've had a rough night. Are you OK, though?" She nodded that she was then reached up and squeezed his hand that now rested on her shoulder.

"Will you do me a favor?"

He gave her a playful smile. "Possibly."

"Please get me out of here."

Bruce laughed and patted her on her shoulder. He walked over the men Eva had been nearest to. She followed behind him. He nodded in Aaron's direction to acknowledge his presence, then turned to Eva's father and extended his hand out. "Detective Gordon. It's been a long time." Gordon took his hand and shook it.

"Indeed it has, Mr. Wayne."

"Please, call me Bruce." Bruce mockingly surveyed the room. "I came to have some dinner, but I suppose that's out of the question." A few men laughed. He turned to Eva. "I don't suppose you would care to join me for a late supper?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. He was making an escape plan. "I'd love to. I didn't really get to finish my first one."

Aaron cut in, angrily. "Eva, I can take you home. There is no need for Bruce to get involved." She opened her mouth to retort, but Bruce beat her to the punch. "I insist, Aaron. She is my employee, after all. She should probably get checked out at the hospital, just to be safe." Aaron gave Bruce the kill look, but quickly recovered. "OK. I'll be calling you later Eva, to be sure you are home. _Safe_." Aaron's eyes locked on Bruce's. James Gordon stood back and watched the exchange.

"Can I speak with you for a moment, Eva."

"Sure Dad," she said. "Excuse me a moment." They walked to a table a few yards away.

"Are you OK, sweetheart?"

She laughed, "Of course, Dad. I'm still slightly shaken up, but I'll be OK. Bruce will take care of me, I have no doubt. I just need to get out of here."

"Will you call me when you get to your apartment?"

"Of course Dad." He grabbed his daughter and gave her a hug.

"And will you have him walk you to your apartment? Let him check everything out?"

"Of course Dad."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Eva gave her father one last hug then turned and headed back to the group.

"Everything OK?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine." She answered with a smile. "Are you ready?"

"When you are."

She walked over to Aaron and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

"I'll be calling you later!" he yelled out to her as she and Bruce walked out the door.

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_**Thanks to those that reviewed! I'm really glad that someone is enjoying this story! On a side note, if someone can help me figure out how to put those dividing lines in the story, instead of "xxxxx", I'd be grateful. I can't seem to figure out how to do it since I started writing this story again! Anyway, review, review, review. Just don't spam... Unless you are going to put it with eggs... haha ;)**_


	13. Chapter 13

"Where would you like to go?" Alfred was sitting in the driver's seat, examining the both of them. They both looked... shell shocked.

"You aren't really going to take me to the hospital, are you?" Eva turned and asked Bruce.

"Not unless you need to go." He answered and she shook her head. "Then how about some place quiet?" Eva smiled at that, so Bruce instructed Alfred to head back to Wayne Manor.

They both sat in silence for the trips entirety; Eva, digesting what had just happened to her and Bruce, unsure of how to react. She realized that for the first time in her entire life, she had found herself in a situation where she had absolutely no control over any aspect of it. Anything could have happened, and that was frightening. Fortunately she wasn't shot, but three people were. They weren't the high society patrons that had filled the room, but they were no less important, and their deaths would probably be swept under the rug by the media because of their lowly place on the social ladder. The jewels, she knew, would take center stage.

Bruce was equally disgruntled. For the first time in his adult life he was having to face a victim as Bruce Wayne. No mask to hide behind, no hard exterior to shield himself, no cape and cowl to sink behind. What was worse was that the victim was someone he considered to be a good friend, something Alfred constantly reminded him he was in short supply of. Bruce looked at her. She faced the window with her eyes gently closed, but her eyebrows furrowed. He had no clue how to handle this. He felt as though this situation was completely out of his control. Bruce had never been one to sit back and sympathize with another person. Not because he was intentionally trying to brush them off, but because he lived in a fast paced world. One kept moving and going, not stopping to take care of the incidentals. He supposed, in a way, that was another fulfillment Batman gave him. He could stop and help someone, if in the only way he knew how, forcefully and briskly. But this was Eva, and Batman couldn't even save _him_ this time.

When they arrived at Wayne Manor, Bruce helped Eva out of the car and through the threshold. He guided her past the staircase, through a long hall and into a study filled with a sofa, book cases, a fireplace, and two desks. Bruce sat Eva down on the sofa then walked out of the room, returning a few seconds later.

"Alfred is going to make some dinner for us."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

He walked over to a table set up like a bar, that sat in front of a large window. Eva had only ever seen a set up like that in movies and TV shows. Bruce filled two glassed with what appeared to be brandy, added ice to one, then walked over to her and handed her the one without ice. She smiled at him but didn't take the glass. "I don't drink drink liquor," she said.

Bruce gawked at her and then chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

She laughed. "Not because of that! Geez, Wayne, you must really think I'm a prude." She laid her head on the back of the sofa and looked up at him. "But if you have some wine, I'd love a glass." He nodded.

He set the glasses down on the table and walked out of the room, quickly walking to the wine cellar. _She needs something strong_, he thought as he surveyed the racks and racks of wine. Bruce not only wanted to ease her nerves, but he needed her to relax enough to recall all the details of the night. He was going to need them for his investigation. He grabbed a bottle of red, inspected it and decided it was right for the occasion, then walked back to his study. Eva was standing by one of the large windows looking out over the grounds.

"You have a beautiful view," she said, as she turned to face him. Bruce stopped and took a moment to actually look at her for the first time that evening. The way the clear moonlight cascaded over her features caused him to catch his breath. Eva was absolutely breathtaking. He had always found her attractive, but at this exact moment he could see this inner glow she had. Her skin was crisp and silky looking against dark blue fabric of her dress and her eyes popped in the glow of the moon. He didn't know how he hadn't really seen it all before. Obviously, Alfred had.

"Thank you," he answered as he walked to stand next to her. He showed her the wine bottle. "Is red OK?"

"Sounds perfect."

Bruce grabbed a corkscrew from the table and began to uncork the bottle, then grabbed a glass and poured her a small amount.

"Thank you, Bruce."

He smiled at her, then gestured for them to sit back on the sofa. "Tell me what happened tonight."

Eva took a sip of her wine and took a deep breath, recalling the events of the evening. "Aaron and I were sitting at our table talking about that stupid bracelet..." she trailed off and then began again: "You know, if I had worn that thing tonight, then my problem would be solved of having to deal with it."

Bruce laughed. "I take it he won't accept it back?"

"Worse. He justifies giving it to me." She took another sip from her glass. "This is quite good, Bruce. Is this from your vineyard?"

He nodded, "In France." He motioned for her to continue.

"Anyway, we were in the middle of that conversation when I heard gunfire. I immediately covered my head then looked over at the door way. The thugs were all wearing masks, save for one."

"What did he look like?"

"Big. Burly. He had greasy long brown hair with a receding hair line and scars all over his face. I'd never seen him before. His thugs moved around the room taking everyone's jewelry. They didn't want money, just jewels, which I found a bit odd. Wouldn't those jewels be insured? Be traceable?"

Bruce shook his head. "The rich always protect their investments. They aren't stupid."

She sighed then took another sip of her wine. She took a pause before continuing. "He shot three of the servers. Just shot them. For no reason." Eva began to tear up at this memory. "I'm sorry."

She began to cry fully and Bruce immediately set his glass down and grabbed her in a gently embrace.

"Hey, it's OK. It's OK. It's been a long night." He told her. Eva sobbed for a few moments then Alfred walked in.

"Excuse me, sir, but your dinner is ready."

She looked up and wiped her face briskly, smearing the tears away. "I'm sorry, it's just so shocking. I've never seen anyone killed in front of me, shot to death right _there_." Before she could take the words back, Eva realized exactly what she had said. "Oh Lord, I'm such an idiot," she said as she stood up. "I'm so sorry Bruce, I didn't think..."

Bruce looked at her but didn't say anything. She continued: "I should go. I'm way out of place. I'm way out of league." He stood up at that and walked over to her.

"Will you stop? I'm not upset and you don't need to leave. I was only thinking." He grabbed her hand. "You aren't out of place and you aren't out of _your_ league. You've just been through something terrifying and traumatizing." He paused for a moment and gave out exhale of breath. "If I have to be totally honest, which your pain in the ass propriety is forcing me to be, I think I now have someone who can, at least, imagine what it is like to see that."

Alfred, all the while, had been standing outside the doorway watching the exchange. Eva's resolve once more started to teeter and tears began to wet her cheeks. "I'm so sorry," was all she said as Bruce pulled her close to him and held her as protectively as he could. Alfred simply shut the door quietly and went to the kitchen to start cleaning up.

* * *

_A few things... This chapter was originally started way back in June, before the horrible Colorado massacre, and as I was typing this up, I realized the uncanny similarities between my chapter and that horrible incident. So I'm sorry if it is a touchy subject. But it really does serve a purpose in my story. My heart goes out to the real life victims and their families. _

_Second thing... just to clarify, I'm trying to keep with the Batman Begins version of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Chris Nolan has done a wonderful job of showing the evolution of the Dark Knight, but for all intents and purposes, I am trying my hardest to stick with that one. Besides, I haven't seen the new one yet! :(_

_Thirdly, I thank everyone for their reviews, good AND bad... However, it needs to be understood that this is fan fiction, not an actual work of art. I would hardly classify myself as any type of author. But it being fan fiction, that gives me the freedom to create and bend and mold characters to my favor. I FULLY am aware that Barbara Gordon is the name of Gordon's daughter. But this isn't Batgirl. This is a different character. I may not have every piece of Batman's history etched in my brain's entirety, but I've been reading the comics since I was a little girl... I know a thing or two. Just because I am choosing to go the route of Bruce Wayne more than Batman doesn't mean I don't appreciate the Batman universe and have full respect for the characters. Nolan's Batman doesn't include Barbara, therefore I posted this story in this section, not the comic section. If you are going to review, please, read the story. NOT just the summary, otherwise move on. It's not your cup of tea, great, there is a story out there for you, but don't bash something you aren't even taking the time to read._

_Rant over! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hopefully I won't be so long in updating._


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